Arlington Heights first in Illinois to add financial penalties for police camera data misuse

Arlington Heights trustees voted Monday to extend contracts with Flock Safety for automated license-plate reader cameras, but now with penalties inserted for unauthorized sharing of data.

The Northwest suburban municipality is the first in Illinois to have such a contract provision with the Atlanta-based camera operator, officials said. Penalty clauses are in some other Flock agreements nationally, including in Denver.

The unanimous vote Monday night came after trustees in December and February sought more answers about how the network of 35 fixed cameras around town works, then asked police department brass to put teeth into the two Flock agreements before they’d agree to re-up for two more years.

“The Arlington Heights Police Department over many, many years has developed a lot of trust in the community,” said Trustee Wendy Dunnington, who made the original request for contract penalties. “It’s just really important that by us working with Flock Safety that we don’t ruin that trust.”

The contracts expired last summer as controversy erupted after an Illinois Secretary of State audit found out-of-state law enforcement agencies tapped Flock’s database to conduct searches related to abortion and immigration, in violation of the Illinois Trust Act.

Retroactive to May and June 2025, the renewed agreements approved Monday now include penalties ranging from $22,000 to $70,000 per incident of unauthorized disclosure or access.

Flock will pay Arlington Heights the penalty, which is “intended to serve as a deterrent to unauthorized sharing of customer data by Flock,” according to the new contract language.

The penalty doesn’t apply to disclosures “pursuant to a lawful subpoena, emergency, or judicial compulsion, or as a result of circumvention of Flock’s controls,” per the contract amendments.

The contracts also state that access to footage and data by federal personnel isn’t considered unauthorized sharing as long as Arlington Heights police initiated it, and officials are acting under a state or local agency with access approved by Arlington Heights.

The first set of cameras in Arlington Heights were installed on fixed poles and inside squad cars in 2017. The technology captures images of license plates of moving vehicles and compares them to so-called hot lists for vehicles stolen or wanted in connection with a crime, and databases for missing persons.

Deputy Police Chief Greg Czernecki has called the cameras a “force multiplier” for law enforcement, helping officers develop quick suspect leads, solve crimes, and provide objective evidence for use in prosecution.

The new camera contracts, which run through the summer of 2027, cost $110,843.