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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 8,000 emergency medical technicians and 4,180 paramedics in Illinois as of May 2021.

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"We would never want to weigh public safety against financial interests because, you know, both of them are extremely important," she said. "We definitely want to work through all those nuances."

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Specifically, Senate Bill 1306 would require the Illinois Department of Public Health to adopt the requirement within one year of the bill's signing. The video recordings would be kept for at least six months and could not be modified or deleted within that time period.

Peter J. Cadigan, 50, and Peggy J. Finley, 44, have been charged with first-degree murder in the case and each jailed on $1 million bond. Prosecutors have accused the EMS workers of tying Moore to a gurney too tightly and slamming his face into the prone position. He died from compression and positional asphyxia on Dec. 18 at HSHS St. John's Hospital.

In an interview with The State Journal-Register on Wednesday, Turner recalled her time on Springfield City Council in mandating body cameras for the city's police department. SPD has been required to have body cameras since 2016, which she said has been a positive for both law enforcement and the public.

Multiple calls were placed with the Illinois Emergency Medical Services Association and Medics First of Springfield, but no response was made prior to press time on Thursday. A spokesperson for IDPH said the department was still reviewing the legislation and would not be providing any comment at the moment.

The legislation comes following the death of 35-year-old Springfield resident Earl Moore, Jr. in December after he was placed face down on a stretcher by two LifeStar Ambulance Services employees. Turner said the incident was the "impetus" for her bill.

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Body camera footage was released to the public from the Springfield Police Department. As Turner noted, if SPD did not have that footage the public would "have no idea what actually happened."

Per the 11-page bill, disclosure of the videos is protected under the Freedom of Information Act except in cases where the "person who made the service call or that person's attorney or personal representative or a law enforcement official" has made the request.

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"We do understand that there would be financial obligations and we do not want to put any business or municipality in a situation where this bill would create an unnecessary burden on them," she said.

"There have been conflicting statements made from the individuals involved, but the body camera tells the story," the senator said.

State Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, has filed legislation that would require all emergency medical services workers to wear body cameras while responding to calls and for all service vehicles to be equipped with dash cameras.

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As SB 1306 is currently written, there are no provisions or grant money dedicated to EMS agencies that would be required to have this equipment or to IDPH which is adopting the rules. Turner noted, however, that could change as the proposal is early in the legislative process.

Turner said state and federal funding have been dedicated to law enforcement to help get those cameras. She expects these types of provisions will be explored with her bill as well.

The cost of body cameras previously became an issue two years ago among small police departments that have been required to have the equipment by 2025 through the SAFE-T Act. Prices range for a typical body camera, according to a 2018 report by the Police Executive Forum, from $120 per device up to $2,883 for each camera as seen in Phoenix, Arizona.

In response to that law enforcement requirement, state Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, introduced House Bill 1542 late last month to appropriate $80 million to assist local governments in the purchase of the cameras.