Gov. J.B. Pritzker Welcomes Hostile Foreign Spies Into Illinois’ Police Force

Imagine this nightmare scenario. An American citizen walking on American streets is arrested, detained, and questioned by a police officer who serves a hostile foreign government such as China, Russia, or Iran. The foreign cop might be a spy charged with keeping track of U.S.-based persons of interest on behalf of his government. This spy, who doubles as an American cop, has the power to act under American law, investigate U.S. residents, and even use lethal force, should he see fit. 

This might read like a dystopian novel about the collapse of American society. But this scenario is now legal under Illinois law, as it is in a handful of other states. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker created the possibility for foreign spies to join the Illinois police force with his signature on House Bill 3751, a bill ostensibly intended to mitigate Illinois’ police recruiting crisis.