‘It’s a little bit terrifying’: Mundelein trustees raise concerns about automated license plate readers
Concerns about privacy erosion and data abuses elsewhere in the suburbs have prompted Mundelein trustees to discuss whether police should continue using digital cameras that capture images of passing cars.
Trustee Tony Ugaste raised the issue during Monday’s village board meeting. After stressing he doesn’t believe Mundelein police are misusing the Flock Safety surveillance system that’s been in place since 2024, Ugaste noted officers in communities that have access to Mundelein’s data have been accused of such violations.
Ugaste also expressed worry about what Atlanta-based Flock does with the data from its 11 leased cameras.
“Forgive me my mistrust of large corporations,” Ugaste said. “We’ve seen time and time again that many will put profits above integrity.”
Cameras made by Flock and other companies scan passing vehicles and record images. The systems alert police when cars being sought pass cameras, based on manufacturer, model, color, license plates or other distinguishing features.
Law enforcement agencies, schools and private companies across the Chicago area and the nation that use the surveillance systems can share data. And abuse of the systems has proved problematic.
Last year, Texas authorities reportedly used data from thousands of cameras — including those in Mount Prospect — to try to find a woman who had an abortion. Earlier this summer, a former Prairie Grove police officer who also was a chief in Holiday Hills was charged with felony counts of official misconduct alleging he unlawfully accessed reader data to track people, including women he dated.
Just this month, a Bloomingdale police officer was placed on administrative leave while authorities investigate the possible misuse of the village’s license plate readers.
“These stories aren’t just in other parts of the country and other states,” Ugaste said.
While protocols and audits are designed to catch inappropriate use, Ugaste said, such activity only is discovered after the fact.
“The damage is done,” he said. “And then we’re just reacting. And that’s part of what concerns me.”
Ugaste also said he doesn’t like that Mundelein officials can’t investigate how Flock uses the data, even though the company audits its clients.
The question before trustees, Ugaste said, is whether the crime-fighting benefits outweigh the privacy risks and potential for abuse.
Fellow Mundelein Trustee Kara Lambert acknowledged supporting purchasing cameras a few years ago but said she now finds them “a little bit terrifying.”
In contrast, Trustee Arnold Krinski said he believes sufficient safeguards are in place. He called fears of privacy invasion unwarranted.
Mayor Robin Meier suggested officials discuss the issue further at a future committee of the whole meeting. Ugaste and other trustees supported that idea.
Mundelein isn’t the only community reconsidering surveillance cameras.
Some Rolling Meadows City Council members this week said they are prepared to cancel the city’s contracts because they’re concerned about data sharing and auditing procedures.
Bartlett and Woodstock residents with the same worries have urged those villages to stop using plate readers.
rlissau@dailyherald.com