Anyone using the Naperville Park District's pools, playgrounds and trails could soon be on camera for police in real time. A proposed agreement would give designated city staff access to the district's security camera network during active incidents.

Police Chief Jason Arres appeared before the Park District's Parks and Recreation Committee on Thursday, Aug. 13, to pitch the memorandum of understanding. He departed the meeting at Fort Hill Activity Center after roughly 15 minutes, and committee members discussed the proposal among themselves before moving on.

No vote was taken.

The meeting minutes do not describe which park facilities' cameras would be covered, what "designated City staff" means in practice, or what data-retention or privacy guardrails the MOU would include. The full text of the proposed agreement has not been made public.

The committee, chaired by Commissioner Aishwarya Balakrishna and including President Leslie Ruffing, Vice President Rhonda Ansier and Commissioner Rich Janor (via teleconference), heard the item as a discussion-only agenda entry. No members of the public spoke.

Turf partnership with District 204

At the same meeting, Planning Director Eric Shutes presented a proposed shared-use agreement with Indian Prairie School District 204 for a synthetic turf field at Neuqua Valley High School. Shutes told the committee the deal would be structured similarly to a partnership the Park District executed with Community Unit School District 203 in 2025.

District 204's board separately approved architectural services with Wight & Co. for turf fields at Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley high schools at its May 4 meeting, signaling the school district's own investment in the facilities.

Park District staff plan to bring the turf partnership to the full Board of Commissioners for a vote at a future meeting. No dollar amounts, field-use schedules or maintenance responsibilities have been disclosed for either the proposed D204 deal or the existing D203 arrangement.

What's still unknown

Residents tracking either proposal face significant gaps:

  • The camera MOU's scope, privacy protections and oversight mechanisms have not been released.
  • Neither the Park District nor the police department has indicated whether the MOU will appear on the Aug. 27 board agenda.
  • Financial terms of the turf partnership remain undisclosed.

Residents can request the full MOU text through the Park District's FOIA process or the city's FOIA portal at naperville.il.us.

City Hall week ahead