State Sen. John Curran said that he considered it “a privilege” to be asked by the family of kidnap and murder victim Kelsey Smith to carry legislation that would make it easier for law enforcement to locate victims using wireless data. | File Photo
State Sen. John Curran said that he considered it “a privilege” to be asked by the family of kidnap and murder victim Kelsey Smith to carry legislation that would make it easier for law enforcement to locate victims using wireless data. | File Photo
Kelsey’s Law, a bill that recently passed the Illinois State Senate, would authorize law enforcement to request cell phone location data from wireless carriers in emergencies such as a kidnapping.
State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) tweeted his feelings about Senate Bill 2530 after it passed the Senate in a 58-0 vote.
“It was a privilege to carry this legislation on behalf of the family of Kelsey Smith,” Curran said April 23.
Similar legislation under the same title has been enacted in 27 other states, according to a press release from Curran’s official website. The legislation is named after kidnapping and murder victim Kelsey Smith, who had a cellular phone with her when abducted in 2007.
Yet, law enforcement in Smith’s case was forced to wait three days to access location information from her phone, the release stated.
The legislation specifies that law enforcement must determine that an individual is at risk of death or serious physical harm to request the information from a wireless carrier. Once that criteria is met, the service provider is obligated to provide the information to law enforcement.
Other states that have adopted Kelsey’s Law include Kansas, New Jersey, Nebraska, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Tennessee, Hawaii, Missouri, Utah, West Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, Rhode Island, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Iowa, Washington, Louisiana, Delaware, Indiana, Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, South Dakota, and Wyoming, the release states.
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