Bill
HB 2756
Illinois creates an Active Shooter Emergency Alert System; ISP activates warnings (on LEA request or when appropriate) to alert the public during active shooter events.
Status and key dates
- Bill: HB 2756 (adds 20 ILCS 2605/2605‑490 to the Illinois State Police Law)
- Sponsor (introduced): Rep. Kimberly Du Buclet
- Enacted: Signed by the Governor 2025‑05‑26
- Effective date: September 1, 2025
- Procedural highlights: Referred to committees, amended and reported, passed both chambers, enrolled and signed. (Companion: SB 2839)
Purpose and intent
- Directs the Illinois State Police (ISP) to develop a coordinated emergency alert program to notify the public when an active shooter situation is occurring in the State. The aim is to provide timely, authoritative warnings to people in the vicinity of an active shooter to enhance public safety and help local law enforcement manage response and evacuation.
Core provisions
- Creation of an Active Shooter Emergency Alert System: ISP must develop a coordinated program for an alert system to notify people when an active shooter situation is occurring.
- Activation authority:
- ISP must activate the alert system on request of a local law enforcement agency (LEA), or
- ISP may activate it when the ISP determines activation is appropriate to assist a local LEA.
- Required criteria before activating an alert (must be satisfied by the requesting LEA or ISP):
1. The LEA (or ISP) believes an active shooter is in the agency’s jurisdiction.
2. The LEA (or ISP) determines an active shooter alert would assist individuals near the shooter’s location.
3. The active shooter situation has been verified through a preliminary investigation.
4. The requester provides the shooter’s last known location and any identifiable information.
- Rulemaking: ISP is authorized to adopt rules necessary to implement the program.
Who is affected
- General public: residents, workers, students, visitors in areas where an active shooter may be present — they are potential recipients of alerts.
- Local law enforcement agencies: may request activation and will coordinate with ISP.
- Illinois State Police: responsible for program development, activation decisions (in certain cases), and rulemaking.
- Emergency communication partners/infrastructure: entities that deliver alerts (e.g., wireless providers, emergency alert systems, media) will be involved in implementation and operations.
Implementation and impact notes
- The statute establishes the policy framework and activation criteria but does not prescribe specific delivery technologies (e.g., Wireless Emergency Alerts, broadcast media) or funding in the text provided.
- ISP rulemaking will clarify operational details: how alerts are formatted, dissemination channels, interagency procedures, training, and privacy/accuracy safeguards.
- Potential benefits include faster public warnings and improved coordination during active shooter incidents. Practical impacts will depend on ISP rules, interagency agreements, technical integration with alerting platforms, and available resources.
- The law requires preliminary verification prior to alerts, a safeguard intended to reduce false alarms; however, the statute leaves operational judgments (e.g., threshold for verification) to ISP and requesting LEAs.
For more detail
- Statute added: 20 ILCS 2605/2605‑490 (Active shooter emergency alert system)
- Effective date: September 1, 2025 — implementation planning and rulemaking by ISP likely to follow prior to or after that date.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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