A proposed agreement would give Naperville police real-time access to park district security cameras during emergencies. Two board members want stronger privacy protections. Two others say the deal makes sense.

The Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners debated the proposal at its Thursday, Aug. 27, meeting at Fort Hill Activity Center but took no vote. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) would let police view live camera feeds during active shooters, bomb threats, armed intruders and fires, Executive Director Brad Wilson said, according to NCTV17.

The board split sharply.

Board member John Risvold, a personal injury lawyer, said the MOU's language is too vague and does not protect privacy rights. "I don't know why we're intent on creating a surveillance state in this town," Risvold said, invoking a Benjamin Franklin quote about sacrificing liberty for safety. He stressed his criticism targets the agreement's wording, not the police department itself.

Board Chair Leslie Ruffing raised a different concern: the burden on park district staff to review audit logs, which she called the only way to catch misuse. Ruffing said camera abuse is a real problem locally and nationally and the board cannot pretend otherwise.

On the other side, board member Rich Janor called the MOU a good example of intergovernmental cooperation. Board member Chris Jacks, a 29-year information technology professional, argued that worrying about Fourth Amendment violations from park cameras would logically require eliminating every Ring doorbell and dash cam in the country.

Police Chief Jason Arres attended the meeting and addressed the board's surveillance concerns directly. Under the MOU, only a small number of sworn officers would gain access, all on a request basis, with every use logged. Arres said any officer who abused the system would be fired and face criminal charges through the state's attorney's office.

Derke Price, the park district's legal counsel, said he helped draft the MOU and described it as a set of guardrails, not a grant of full-time access. Price said the city currently has no access to park district cameras. He and Risvold clashed over how broadly the word "emergency" could be applied. Price cited the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of how the term is inherently broad and cannot be reduced to a checklist.

Arres told the board the police department has pursued similar MOUs with other local institutions. Indian Prairie School District 204 and North Central College have already signed. Naperville School District 203 has not yet taken up the request.

The MOU could return at a future board meeting, though no date has been set. The board's next scheduled meeting is Thursday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. at Fort Hill Activity Center, 20 Fort Hill Drive.