Illinois HB-3911: a model for press access to encrypted radio
The first transparency bill in a major Midwest state would require agencies that encrypt their radio to provide credentialed journalists with access to recordings.
Galesburg and Knox County encrypted on June 1, went onto StarCom21, and went dark. HB-3911 still has no hearing date.
Bill status
Why this bill matters
Since Chicago encrypted its police radio in 2022, journalists and transparency advocates across Illinois have been looking for a legislative answer. HB-3911 is the most significant legislative response to police encryption the Midwest has seen, and if it passes, other states will have a working model to follow.
The bill creates a framework for credentialed journalists to access encrypted recordings without requiring agencies to broadcast openly to everyone.
HB-3911 creates a credentialing system for professional journalists while maintaining encryption for the general public—a targeted compromise that takes security concerns seriously.
If the bill passes, here's what Illinois listeners can lean on
HB-3911 is a press-access win, not a universal decrypt—the public still needs the unencrypted layer. If you want to cover what remains open in Illinois (Highland Park, downstate, federal, O'Hare aviation, NOAA weather) this is the standard stack.
Key provisions
Press access requirement
Agencies that encrypt radio communications must provide access to credentialed journalists.
Credentialing system
A formal process for journalists to obtain credentials for encrypted radio access.
Tactical exemption
Encryption protection stays in place for undercover operations and active tactical situations.
Oversight
Compliance oversight to ensure agencies follow the access requirements.
The coalition
Supporting organizations
- Illinois Press Association
- Society of Professional Journalists
- ACLU of Illinois
- Transparency advocacy groups
- Local news organizations
Opposition
- Illinois Fraternal Order of Police
- Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police
- Various police unions
The Chicago context
HB-3911 is a direct response to Chicago's 2022 decision to fully encrypt police radio. The effects were immediate:
Journalists now learn about incidents from social media rather than professional monitoring
Police accounts of incidents go unverified for hours or days
Residents in crisis situations have no real-time information
Patterns of response and language used by officers vanished from public view
"RTDNA ranks encryption as the #1 threat to journalism. When Chicago went dark, we lost the ability to independently verify what police are telling us is happening in our city."— Illinois journalist
Legislative timeline
HB-3911 introduced in Illinois House of Representatives
Bill receives first reading and is assigned to committee
Referred to Public Safety Committee
Galesburg Police, Galesburg Fire, and the Knox County Sheriff encrypted primary dispatch on StarCom21 by June 1. No hearing date for HB-3911 has been scheduled. The $1.24 million Motorola contract was approved in October 2025, before anyone in Springfield was seriously debating this bill. If HB-3911 passes, these agencies would need to give credentialed journalists access to their encrypted recordings.
Awaiting committee hearing date
What makes this bill different
Previous transparency efforts failed because they tried to prevent encryption outright. HB-3911 takes a different approach:
Failed approaches
- Banning encryption outright
- Requiring full public access
- Mandating delayed feeds for everyone
HB-3911 approach
- Accepts encryption as reality
- Creates targeted press access
- Maintains tactical protection
- Establishes credentialing framework
How to support HB-3911
Ask them to support HB-3911 and push for a committee hearing
Show up when the Public Safety Committee schedules hearings
Share your experience of how encryption has affected your community
Get involved through the Illinois Press Association or ACLU of Illinois
Illinois HB-3911 and the national picture
If Illinois passes HB-3911, other states have a working model to follow. If it fails, departments across the country will read the result clearly: encrypt without consequence.