Officers in four Chicago-area suburbs have been placed on administrative leave for allegedly misusing Flock license plate reader cameras, the same technology mounted on Will County highways in Naperville.
A Chicago Tribune investigation published Saturday, Sept. 12, identified Bloomingdale, West Chicago, Itasca and Channahon as departments where officers face allegations of improper use. Two officers elsewhere in the region face felony charges for allegedly using the system to stalk former romantic partners.
The findings land weeks after the Will County Board voted in August to approve intergovernmental agreements allowing Flock cameras to stay on county highways in Naperville, Mokena, Crete, Manhattan, Frankfort and Wilmington. Naperville's City Council had approved its own agreement in June.
As we reported Sept. 11, Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres released the department's license plate reader policy. On Sept. 10, the department posted a video on X in which Arres explained efforts to audit the city's Flock systems and hold officers accountable, directing residents to naperville.il.us/PoliceTransparency.
Will County tightens controls
Several Will County police departments strengthened their internal policies before the county board vote. Mokena Police Chief Brian Benton told the Tribune that officers must now enter both a specific reason and a case number for every Flock search. Vague entries like "suspected criminal activity" are no longer accepted.
"When we do the audit, we can trace it back to a purpose," Benton said. "So if you put a fake number in there … it comes back as fake. You lied to use the system, and there's your discipline."
Manhattan Police Chief Ryan Gulli told the Tribune his village posts a public transparency portal showing how many searches officers have run in the past 30 days and the reasoning behind each one.
Homer Glen voted in August to suspend its Flock program entirely after alleged misuse was discovered in Will County.
Naperville's position
When the Will County Board debated the agreements in August, Arres spoke in favor of the cameras. He told NCTV17 at the time that searches "are all able to be audited and justified to see if the officer had a legitimate law enforcement purpose … There are consequences if they didn't — not a slap on the wrist."
The board approved the agreements with a 14-member majority. Ten county residents and some board members raised concerns about surveillance and potential data misuse. The county plans to enact a separate ordinance establishing additional safeguards, though no vote date has been set.
State legislation pending
State Rep. Nicolle Grasse, an Arlington Heights Democrat, is co-sponsoring the Automated License Plate Recognition System Act (ALPR Act). The bill would limit the types of crimes the cameras can investigate and require agencies to delete data within three days. It remains in committee.
Flock Safety said it will require all customers to adopt its "audit assistance" feature, which flags abnormal search activity and suspends access until administrators review it, by the end of 2026. One-third of customers use it voluntarily now.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias ordered Flock to cut off access to U.S. Customs and Border Protection after a state audit found the federal agency had illegally accessed the system. Local departments that violate state law could lose access to Illinois data and eligibility for state and federal grants.
The Tribune's full investigation details the felony cases and the national scope of Flock misuse allegations.
