The debate over technology intruding into our lives has now found license-plate reading cameras the latest villain. Law enforcement supports their use; civil libertarians are skeptical of their use and abuse.
The latest example of license plate readers being a plus in police work was last week in West Suburban Oak Brook, when police in the DuPage County community using the technology quickly rounded up suspects tied to a deadly shooting at the upscale Oakbrook Center mall.
Vehicles linked to the incident were spotted by the village’s network of LPRs — some 90 of them — which led to taking the alleged shooters into custody, who later were released.
“There has been considerable public discussion regarding the use of license plate reader technology,” Brian Strockis, police chief in the well-heeled community, said after the arrests. “Today’s incident is an example of how properly deployed law enforcement technology can provide timely investigative information.”
It is a view echoed by Lake County lawmen. From closed-circuit TV to drones — like those used by Gurnee and Waukegan police, and others — and LPRs, law enforcement officials are using tech tools to their advantage over criminals seeking to do us harm. We should embrace their help.
License plate readers photograph every vehicle that passes by their locations, storing time and places in a database. The Illinois Tollway uses similar technology to catch toll scofflaws.
That information floating around cyberspace — or stored in data centers we don’t want in our backyards — is what civil libertarians worry about. License plates are required to operate vehicles on Illinois roads.
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Those on Facebook routinely share innermost moments of their lives which end up swirling about the internet. They don’t seem worried about privacy concerns with their postings.
There are an estimated 407 license-plate-reading cameras operating in Lake County, according to deflocktheusa.com, a website opposed to the use of the products made by Atlanta-based Flock Safety. Those numbers put the county in fourth place in Illinois.
Nationally, the county ranks 549th out of 3,222 counties per resident, according to the website, totaling 4.8 cameras per 10,000 residents. As of July, about 6,000 communities were operating Flock readers in 49 states, performing more than 20 billion vehicle scans each month, data has shown. Similar products are offered by other manufacturers involved in the technology, which is less than 10 years old.
Is this Big Brother watching our vehicles as we travel Lake County byways? Are we allowing a police state to view our movements?
Of course, there have been instances of misuse of the cameras’ data, namely by rogue police officers stalking and snooping into the lives of their exes. Those abusing the system have been dealt with as they should: Losing their police powers and finding out what the other end of the legal system is all about.
Law enforcement officials point out the cameras have led to criminal arrests, used successfully in Amber and Silver alerts for missing or endangered persons. They’ve also been used to apprehend car thieves and hit-and-run drivers, along with felons wanted on warrants and those fleeing police.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office purchased 15 of the cameras in 2024 at a cost of $90,000, with the purchase price partially offset by the department’s asset forfeiture fund. Data collected is normally kept for a month.
The Illinois State Police has also deployed LCRs along Interstate 94 in Lake County. County communities with LPR systems include Antioch, Fox Lake, Grayslake, Gurnee, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Libertyville, Mundelein, Round Lake Beach, Vernon Hills, Wauconda, Waukegan and Zion.
Like data centers and fears over artificial intelligence, there is growing opposition to the use of this high-tech surveillance. Those opposed to the use of LPRs refuse to believe these are crime-fighting weapons.
Instead, they see them as a threat to motorists’ privacy and the sharing of confidential information between law enforcement agencies. Lake County departments say there are protections against misuse and rules about distribution of information.
Officials maintain the technology is not being used to track individual drivers or to determine their immigration status. They are used to trail lawbreakers in real time after they engage in criminal acts.
Several Chicagoland communities have overlooked the safety aspects of the cameras, deciding to terminate usage of the technology. This came after officers in their communities violated the trust residents had in their service by using collected data to spy on acquaintances.
While distressed over privacy concerns, camera opponents are ignoring the positive aspects of license plate readers. To do so allows criminals to trample on the rights of lawful citizens.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor. [email protected]. X @sellenews