Arlington Heights shuts off access to license-plate camera data
Arlington Heights has temporarily blocked outside law enforcement agencies from accessing its automated license-plate reader data amid controversy that erupted last week in neighboring Mount Prospect.
Data maintained by Mount Prospect and other law enforcement agencies was accessed by a Texas sheriff’s department looking for a woman who went missing after an abortion. Mount Prospect data was also accessed by other agencies to conduct 262 searches related to immigration matters, according to an audit ordered by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.
The Illinois Trust Act prohibits such searches related to abortion or immigration.
The data came from Flock Safety cameras mounted in Mount Prospect — a common tool used by police departments in the suburbs to capture still pictures of license plates as cars pass by.
Since the news broke last Thursday, the Arlington Heights Police Department turned off the data sharing function on its Flock system pending resolution by the Atlanta-based company.
Mount Prospect has also cut off access to its data for all out-of-state agencies.
“We still can use our own data, but we’re not allowing other entities to access our data at this time until we are comfortable with the actions that Flock is taking to protect everyone’s information,” said Arlington Heights Village Manager Randy Recklaus. “We still continue to believe that Flock is an excellent law enforcement tool. The actions taken by those other agencies were clearly in violation of Illinois state law and the stated policies of Flock.”
Recklaus confirmed there were instances where — as part of an overall state of Illinois search — Arlington Heights’ data was included and may have been reviewed, according to the state audit.
But he said there’s no indication that the information led to arrests or further inquiries.
Recklaus’ report during a village board meeting Monday night came after Trustee Carina Santa Maria inquired if Arlington Heights’ data may have been accessed or exposed. She called upon the board and staff to review, and if necessary strengthen, village policies and ordinances to safeguard against unauthorized use.
“Technology like Flock is supposed to protect our communities, not be weaponized to punish people from exercising their rights or for existing as immigrants,” Santa Maria said. “What happened is an egregious violation of public trust, and our community deserves answers, transparency and accountability. We owe it to the residents of Arlington Heights to ensure that their personal data is not misused.”
Recklaus and Mayor Jim Tinaglia met with Democratic state Rep. Nicolle Grasse, who is a former village trustee, to discuss the issue. She also spoke with officials in Mount Prospect and Rolling Meadows.
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