Latest / Kendall County News - Shaw Local / Plano approves taking down Flock cameras; police chief cites alleged misuse in other agencies

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Plano approves taking down Flock cameras; police chief cites alleged misuse in other agencies · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Plano approves taking down flock cameras, police chief cites allege misuse in
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  other agencies. This article is being read by an
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  automated voice, brought to you by Everlet. The City of Plano is
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  rescinding its contract with Flock and removing the city's license plate reading
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  cameras. The move comes after Plano Police Chief Norm Allison urged the
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  city
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  council to vote to end the contract with Flock Group Inc. And
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  remove the cameras. The council on October 12 unanimously voted to rescind
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  the contract and to immediately shut down the cameras. The city.
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  Is aiming to take down the cameras within 30 days. One of
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  the
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  cameras at the corner of US Route 34 and Eldomain Road requires
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  approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation for removal. There are currently
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  four flock cameras within the city. Plano awarded Flock a 13,950
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  contract for the cameras in December 2025. The contract was set to
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  renew on December 10th. Allison said flock representatives told him the cameras
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  would be turned off immediately following the city council's vote. Removal of
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  the four cameras will cost the city 500 per camera. Concerns over
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  abuse and privacy Allison previously referenced alleged misuse of the cameras by
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  officers in law enforcement agencies across northern Illinois. A Joliet police lieutenant
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  was recently indicted on felony charges of computer tampering and official misconduct
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  regarding
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  the flock safety program. Earlier this month, two former police officers from
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  Itasca and West Chicago were charged with felony misconduct after authorities alleged
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  the made unauthorized searches of Illinois license plates using their access to
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  flock safety camera databases according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.
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  There are no current reports of any Plano police officers misus using
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  the technology according to the police department. Allison referenced the pending legal
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  challenges regarding the technologies use and residents raising privacy and trust concerns.
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  I took into account the amount of department use, I weighed public
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  perception, I looked at the
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  fact there were pending bills and legislation that had yet been decided
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  upon, and took into account the fact the purported misuse situation had
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  changed from other states to municipalities close to our jurisdiction, Alison said
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  in a statement. Plano's Flock safety system was being used in partnership
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  with Cancom's multi-agency public safety dispatch efforts. The KENCOM Board recently
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  approved a full audit of its FLOC system to check for any
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  unauthorized use by law enforcement. Across the county, several other towns share
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  access to the system, including police departments in Yorkville, Oswego, and Montgomery.
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  The Kendall County Sheriff's Office and several local fire agencies also share
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  access. KenCom originally approved a 27,500 annual contract
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  with Flock in 2021. Proponents of the flock system argue it provides
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  law enforcement with unparalleled technology to track suspects and investigate serious crimes.
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  In Kane County, the Kane County Sheriff's Office agreed to take down
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  cameras in the Mill Creek subdivision after its residents voted for their
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  removal.