Naperville residents can now read the exact rules governing how police use license plate reader cameras on city streets.
The Naperville Police Department revised its automated license plate reader (ALPR) policy on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and posted the full document along with transparency materials online. Police Chief Jason Arres recorded a video explaining the department's safeguards after fielding community questions, the department said in a post on X on Thursday, Sept. 10.
The release comes after the Naperville City Council voted down an $8.29 million camera spending package. As we reported Wednesday, Sept. 9, council members cited cost and public concern about privacy and surveillance.
What the policy allows and prohibits
The revised policy, General Order 41.16, has governed the ALPR program since January 2015. ALPR cameras capture license plates and cross-reference them against law enforcement databases to locate stolen vehicles, find missing persons and identify vehicles tied to criminal investigations.
Under GO 41.16, only officers who complete department-approved training and hold required certifications can access the system. Every search is logged and tied to an individual user.
The policy bans generalized surveillance of the public. Officers cannot use the system to monitor people exercising constitutional rights, including freedoms of speech, religion, assembly and the press.
Personal use is also prohibited. Officers cannot look up plates belonging to family, friends, neighbors, public officials or celebrities.
An ALPR alert alone does not give officers legal authority to stop or search a vehicle. Before acting on an alert, officers must visually confirm the plate, verify the alert's status through a law enforcement database and weigh additional facts.
The policy also bars use of ALPR data for civil immigration enforcement.
Plate data deleted after 30 days
Routine plate reads are deleted after 30 days unless the data is tied to an active investigation, a legal preservation order or another lawful requirement. The department said it will periodically evaluate whether the 30-day window remains necessary.
Accountability measures
Supervisors conduct regular manual reviews of system use. The department's ALPR system administrator oversees formal audits.
Misuse, unauthorized access or any use inconsistent with the policy can result in loss of system access, disciplinary action, criminal prosecution or civil liability.
"Those 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," Arres told NCTV17 in August, when the Will County Board voted to allow Flock license plate cameras on county highways in Naperville and other municipalities.
Only criminal justice agencies approved by the chief of police can receive ongoing access to Naperville's ALPR data.
Cases cited by the department
The department published a list of ALPR-assisted investigations. Among them: a jewelry theft series totaling about $50,000 that led to two arrests and a residential burglary case linking three suspects to more than 10 break-ins. Officers also recovered two illegally possessed firearms after a report of a gun displayed from a moving vehicle.
The full policy, its prior version and the case summaries are posted on the city's police transparency page. Residents who want to request additional records can file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request through the city's FOIA portal.
City Hall week ahead
No Naperville City Council or commission meetings related to the ALPR program have been announced for the week of Sept. 14. The city posts agendas at naperville.il.us as they become available.
