Prosecutor promotes anti-terrorism laws

CHICAGO -- Attorney General Jim Ryan proposed a new set of laws Tuesday to combat terrorism in Illinois, calling such proposals part of his job -- not an attempt to win votes.

Ryan, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, said state law enforcement officers need better tools to track potential terrorists and catch them before they strike. His plan would expand the state's ability to listen in on suspected terrorists' phone conversations, allow search warrants to be issued more quickly and make it a crime to fund terrorists.

"What happened at the World Trade Center is one of the worst tragedies in American history. If people don't understand that we have to respond when you're the chief law enforcement officer, I guess they are living on some planet. They're not on this planet," Ryan said.

Ryan is urging the Legislature to pass the package -- which he said has broad support from law enforcement agencies -- during its fall veto session next month.

An Illinois House judiciary committee will hold a special hearing Oct. 31 to start reviewing Ryan's proposal, said Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.

Legal experts, including Illinois' branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, said lawmakers must carefully weigh whether the proposals will do more harm than good.

Wayne LaFave, a University of Illinois law professor, suggested including an automatic expiration date so any changes would be reviewed again later.

"I would think the burden would be on those proposing these changes to make a very solid case for it. I haven't heard it," LaFave said.

The attorney general first suggested a sweeping anti-terror statute in the days following the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington. He filled in the details Tuesday, a day after Gov. George Ryan appointed a new coordinator for state anti-terrorism efforts.

The governor cautioned Monday against duplicating federal programs "simply to say that we are doing something" -- a remark his spokesman said was not a dig at Jim Ryan's proposal.

Jim Ryan called the federal government the first line of defense against terrorism, but said state law enforcement also must be involved in preventing attacks.