By AP/KWMU
Springfield, ILL. – The Illinois Senate on Wednesday passed a compromise measure on how to punish cops who lie in murder investigations. The plan allows the state to take away an officer's badge for perjury, even if the suspect is not charged criminally.
The deal is part of a bigger effort to reform the state's death penalty system.
The perjury provision was originally just one of many parts to landmark legislation to fix problems with the state's capital punishment system. That larger bill passed the Legislature this spring but Gov. Rod Blagojevich used his veto powers to take out the officer perjury provision.
That veto was overriden by lawmakers in the state Senate Wednesday; they then followed that up by passing separate legislation dealing only with police perjury.
Blagojevich says he supports that change.
There are now two measures that need to pass in order for all the reforms to the system to take effect. They still need approval in the state House.