SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (IRN) – Illinois General Assembly wants to give undercover police one more tool in their arsenal that would help convict drug dealers.

More police would be wearing a wire, under a bill which has been introduced in the state House. The bill, forms of which have failed in the past on civil liberties grounds, allows undercover narcotics cops to secretly record their work without a warrant.

State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria) says the idea has been up and down over the past fourteen years, adding negotiations continue over how to reconcile the concern over secret recording.

Officer safety is one benefit supporters tout, as another officer out of sight could monitor whether the situation is getting out of control.

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