Man faced 15 years in prison for recording police officer

An Illinois man faces a felony and up to 15 years in prison for recording a traffic stop using his cell phone. Illinois has one of the most restrictive eavesdropping laws in the country. Someone recording audio must have the permission of everyone being recorded.

"I'm in a private car on a public street and it's a public official," Louis Frobe told ABC7. "Why shouldn't I be able to record what's going on to prove my innocence?"

The charges against him were dropped, but he filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the eavesdropping law.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois recently asked a federal appellate court in a separate case to block future prosecutions for recording police officers performing their public duties as a violation of the First Amendment.

Watch video, courtesy of ABC7, below: