Prairie State Wire

A bill that would require each county law enforcement agency to post monthly reports of vehicular hijackings on its website has been referred to the House Rules Committee.

Introduced by Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton), House Bill 5851, or the Carjacking Transparency Report Act, also stipulates that if a particular law enforcement agency does not have a website it must make copies of the report available at the department’s headquarters.

Proposal of the legislation was prompted by a rash of car-jackings by juveniles in Chicago's western Cook and DuPage County suburbs, some of them allegedly by repeat offenders.

In the case of a juvenile offender, the department would be required to document the municipality where the juvenile resides and the school where the juvenile attends; the type of bond posted; or whether the juvenile is incarcerated and awaiting trial.

When dealing with adult offenders, agencies would be required to document the location of every incident of vehicular hijacking within the jurisdiction; and the age of each person arrested for vehicular hijacking, any prior arrests for the commission of a felony of the person arrested, and a record of any felony conviction.