Oswego Village Board members are looking at a proposal to use license plate readers to help police locate stolen vehicles and help investigations of various other crimes in the village.
“We are looking for direction from the board specifically if there is an interest in license plate readers,” Oswego Police Chief Jeff Burgner said. “The second question is whether you prefer stationary or mobile cameras.”
The equipment can be used in real time to identify vehicles that are stolen or have been identified as suspect vehicles in other crimes, police said. The vehicle plates are run through the National Crime Information Center and police agencies are then notified of missing children or adults and information on stolen vehicles or other offenses.
Trustees were given an overview last summer of the varying types of mobile and stationary license plate readers some law enforcement agencies are using.
The license plate readers are used by police agencies and private entities including shopping centers, financial institutions and apartment complexes, officials said.
Some 25 police agencies throughout the region use the license plate readers, including Elgin and Naperville, according to officials.
Some were recently implemented while others have used the license plate readers for a couple of years, police said. They use either the mobile devices or ones permanently installed at designated areas.
“We asked the agencies if they had any major issues or concerns with the technology,” Oswego Deputy Police Chief Kevin Norwood told trustees. “No agencies reported any major issues with the product but some departments indicated the implementation took longer than they had originally thought.”
The license plate readers were effective in locating stolen vehicles and solving burglaries, other agencies have told Oswego police.
Norwood also contacted out of state agencies that indicated success in solving sore serious drug-related crimes because of the readers, he said.
Along with helping find stolen vehicles, information from the readers can be used for investigations into vehicle burglaries, robberies, retail thefts, vehicle crashes and other crimes, police said.
The Oswego Police Department has contacted two suppliers to get estimates for the cameras. The estimates range from $25,000 to $34,000 for implementing the system.
Some of the trustees indicated they would support having stationary cameras located at designated areas of the village.
The department’s research into whether it would be an effective tool for parking garage and overnight on-street parking enforcement is still in progress, Burgner said.
Trustee James Marter had questions relative to the release of data from the readers.
“One of the concerns is third parties having access to data. I would like to get more specifics from vendors,” Marter said.
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He would also like to get public input on having the cameras stationed throughout the community.
“I would like to see if this is something locally people would support,” Marter said. “I personally lean against for other concerns. However, if a majority of the people wanted it, I would feel more comfortable siding with them.”
Trustee Judy Sollinger preferred the village work with Kendall County’s emergency 911 dispatch agency before moving forward. KenCom Public Safety Dispatch manages the area’s emergency calls.
“I don’t have a problem with having (cameras) in our community but I think we should partner with KenCom or at least get information on what they are going to do before we make a decision,” Sollinger said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.