Hastings law modernizes missing persons investigations starting Jan. 1

According to the Department of Justice’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, Illinois has 461 open missing persons cases.

Starting Jan. 1, law enforcement will take a new approach to these cases, thanks to a new law championed by State Senator Michael E. Hastings.

“I teamed up with the Cook County Sheriff’s office to do a detailed review of how current law affects these investigations,” said Hastings (D-Frankfort).

“Through that review, we were able to find areas where we can modernize and become more efficient.”

Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022 — Illinois Senator Michael Hastings

The new law eliminates any law enforcement policy requiring the observance of a waiting period before accepting a missing persons report. The law also requires information from a missing persons report to be immediately entered into the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System upon receipt of a report. Law enforcement agencies will now adopt a strategy regarding missing persons investigations, reporting, and follow-up action.

If a person remains missing for 60 days, law enforcement agencies are required to obtain and enter their photographs, fingerprint records, and dental or skeletal radiographs, and biological samples into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

The law requires law enforcement to keep missing persons cases under active investigation until the person is located and returned, or law enforcement cannot close a case due to exhaustion of leads.

Hastings’ law will close a gap in current procedures where law enforcement are not required to use other databases that could be helpful in locating missing persons, like the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

“In missing persons cases, every detail matters, and so does every second,” said Hastings. “This new law will bring families the peace they deserve.”

Senate Bill 24 takes effect Jan. 1, 2026.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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