Illinois biometrics ban bill draws sharp opposition from law enforcement as it stalls in committee

Illinois House Bill 5521, the Biometric Surveillance Act introduced by Rep Kelly Cassidy, would prohibit state and local law enforcement from using facial recognition technology and other biometric identifiers including fingerprints, voice prints and iris scans. Republican legislator and serving police officer Rep Patrick Sheehan condemned the proposal as counterproductive, citing recent use of facial recognition to identify a suspect charged with killing a student. As of 2 April 2026 the bill remained in the House Judiciary Civil Committee with 227 witness slips filed in opposition and one in support.

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