Ex-Riverside Chief Calls Bill 'Reckless,' Says It Would Impede Police

RIVERSIDE, IL – Tom Weitzel, Riverside's retired police chief and a law enforcement fellow at Awake Illinois, is calling on state Rep. Kelly Cassidy to immediately withdraw House Bill 5521, warning the proposal would impede law enforcement's ability to solve violent crimes and embolden dangerous offenders.

In a March 24 letter, Weitzel described the legislation as "reckless," stating it would strip investigators of a proven tool at a time when communities are demanding safer streets and accountability.

"This is not a policy debate happening in a vacuum," Weitzel said. "Facial recognition is already helping solve some of the most heinous crimes in Chicago. It identified suspects in the brutal sexual assault of a 63-year-old woman and in a fatal shooting case that may have remained unsolved without it."

Weitzel emphasized that these cases are just two examples among hundreds of violent criminal investigations in which facial recognition technology has generated leads, identified suspects, and helped take offenders into custody.

"Eliminating this tool will not protect the public; it will protect criminals," he said. "That is the unavoidable consequence of this legislation."

Weitzel pushed back on misconceptions surrounding technology, stressing that facial recognition is not used to make arrests or establish probable cause, but instead serves as an investigative lead that must be independently verified.

"Let's be clear: this technology does not replace police work, it strengthens it," Weitzel said. "Taking it away doesn't advance civil liberties; it weakens public safety."

Weitzel also pointed directly to the recent murder of a first-year student at Loyola University Chicago in the Rogers Park neighborhood, an area represented by Rep. Cassidy.