New Illinois bill proposes limits on police traffic stops

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – Already creating controversy among lawmakers, a new proposed Illinois bill would limit the reasons police officers can pull vehicles over.

Filed Monday, House Bill 4603 could already be on its deathbed.

If passed, law enforcement would no longer have the right to pull drivers over for an expired registration sticker, lack of license plates, driving without a seatbelt or driving up to 25 MPH over the speed limit.

“There’s a lot of implications that would be very, very bad if this bill were to pass,” said Illinois State Representative John Cabello. “The state police are pretty much gone if this goes through, their job is mainly to enforce traffic laws on state roads. What do they do from that point on?”

State Representative Maurice West does not support the bill and says he has spoken to the man who proposed the bill, State Representative Justin Slaughter.

West says the bill will never be passed but is instead being used for a different purpose.

“He shared with me that the sole reason to file this legislation is to start conversation,” West said. “He desires to focus on racial disparities during traffic stops. Black people are three times more likely to be pulled over than white people in the city of Rockford.”

Cabello says the proposed law should be taken seriously.

“The representative that filed this bill also passed the SAFE-T act, we do have to keep an eye on it,” Cabello said.

Another big change if the bill is passed, anything illegal found inside a car during a traffic stop can not be used in a court of law if it is not directly related to the original reason the vehicle was pulled over.

Representative Slaughter has not responded to multiple emails and calls made by 23 News staff.

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