The secret compartment is no longer illegal in Illinois:

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) —The Illinois Supreme Court declared Thursday that a state law banning secret compartments in cars is unconstitutional.

A unanimous court said the 1999 law meant to discourage gang members from hiding guns from police was too broad and penalized innocent conduct.

Justices ruled on two cases in which police stopped cars with empty air bag compartments. During one, in Cook County in 2004, police found a BB gun. The other, a 2006 stop in Grundy County, turned up a large amount of money.

"The statute potentially criminalizes innocent conduct," Justice Lloyd Karmeier wrote in his opinion for the court. "The contents of the compartment do not have to be illegal for a conviction to result. In these consolidated cases, there was in fact nothing illegal found within the compartments."

Chicago police pushed the law in 1999 because they said gang members were installing hidden compartments for as little as $1,000. Some could hold dozens of guns gangbangers could grab quickly, they said.

The law at the time allowed police to seize a car if guns, drugs or other contraband was found in a secret compartment. But the legislation's Senate sponsor, Lisa Madigan, who is now attorney general, argued the law should be tougher to protect police.

Madigan's attorney general's office defended the law before the court. Spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler said Madigan is reviewing the opinion and considering her next step. Ziegler would not say whether Madigan would seek new legislation to restore the law.

A spokesman for the Illinois State Police was not aware of the ruling and had no immediate comment.

Madigan's office had argued that the presence of a secret compartment indicates the desire to hide something illegal.

The court scoffed at the notion.

"Just as citizens are not required to display their worldly possessions to the general public, neither are they required to exhibit them for the plain view of law enforcement," Karmeier wrote.

 

Illinois sux with all of our stupid laws. Ugh.

 

Phew! They'll never find my iPod now!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

Love the comment about your iPod. HAHA! Love your pics too!
Cheers-

 

It is not a secret compartment, it is a covert compartment. MINI describes access to the compartment on pg 72 of the manual.
That is hardly a secret.

 

Exactly!! It can't be a secret if it's documented somewhere. Any prosecution for the "secret" MINI compartment would never hold up in court...unless you had your weed there

 

I think it's about time Illinois fell off into the lake.

 

We nearly did this morning. Hellofa earthquake at 4:30 AM...shook me out of bed

 

It just goes to show you when the government is work we are losing!

 

Wait until I move somewhere with better weather (and laws)!

 

Yeah, that was interesting! I thought I was imagining it.

 

My Mom lives in Illinois, dear. Can we wait until our inheritance is secure before you push her, her mansion, and our inheritance into the lake?!

She didn't dig this morning's earthquake one bit.

 

With apologies to friends of IL everywhere ():

Q: Know what the best thing to come out of Illinois is?

A: Interstate 80