HB1611 (2026): The Anjanette Young Act -- Residential Search Warrant Reform Advancing to Floor Vote

What the Bill Would Do

House Bill 1611, the Anjanette Young Act, would establish comprehensive requirements for how law enforcement executes residential search warrants in Illinois^[1]. The bill is named after Anjanette Young, a Chicago social worker whose 2019 wrong-raid incident — in which officers handcuffed her naked in her own home during a botched warrant execution — became a catalyst for police reform advocacy in Illinois.

Knock-and-Announce Requirements: Officers must knock and announce their presence at sufficient volume and wait at least 30 seconds before forced entry. No-knock warrants are prohibited except in cases of genuine emergency where there is an imminent threat to life.

Time-of-Day Restrictions: Warrants must be executed between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM unless a judge specifically authorizes nighttime execution based on demonstrated necessity.

SWAT Unit Requirements: In counties with populations of 90,000 or more, residential search warrants must be executed by SWAT-trained units, ensuring officers conducting forced entries have specialized training in high-risk operations.

Protections for Vulnerable Persons: Officers may not restrain children or caregivers encountered during warrant execution unless there is an immediate physical threat to officer or occupant safety.

Body Camera Transparency: Body camera footage from warrant executions must be provided to the subject of the warrant within 10 days of a request.

Warrant Scope Limitations: Residential search warrants are limited to investigations involving violent felonies, narcotics or firearms or munitions trafficking, property crimes exceeding $1,000 in value, or situations where the warrant is necessary to protect persons.

Note: While firearms and munitions trafficking is listed as one of the qualifying warrant categories, HB1611 is fundamentally a police reform and civil liberties bill — not a firearms regulation bill. Its primary impact is on how law enforcement conducts residential searches across all qualifying offense categories.

Current Status

HB1611 is on the House Calendar for 2nd Reading — Short Debate as of March 12, 2026^[1]. In the Illinois House, a bill must pass 2nd Reading (where amendments can be offered) and then 3rd Reading (final passage vote) before being sent to the Senate. Its placement on the calendar for short debate indicates it has cleared committee and has leadership support for floor action. This is the farthest advanced bill in this policy area on the House floor this session.

What to Watch

The Anjanette Young Act represents a significant shift in how Illinois regulates warrant execution. Law enforcement organizations may push back on the 30-second wait requirement and the no-knock warrant prohibition, arguing these provisions create officer safety risks. The SWAT-unit mandate for counties over 90,000 population will require smaller departments to coordinate with county or regional tactical teams. The body camera footage disclosure requirement adds a transparency mechanism that could deter abusive warrant practices. Floor amendments on 2nd Reading could modify the time-of-day window, the population threshold for the SWAT requirement, or the 30-second wait period.