License plate readers won't be used for traffic enforcement, Des Plaines chief says
Cameras that will record images of passing cars and their license plates in Des Plaines won't be used for speed control or other types of traffic enforcement, the city's police chief assured aldermen Tuesday.
Rather, the images will help police in Des Plaines and other communities fight more significant crimes in which automobiles were used, Chief David Anderson told the city council during its scheduled meeting at city hall. He cited burglaries, robberies and catalytic converter thefts as examples of crimes the cameras could help solve.
The council subsequently agreed to purchase 10 cameras from Atlanta-based Flock Group for $61,300. No aldermen objected.
A two-year test program is planned but the cameras could be around longer, Anderson said.
The devices will be installed on main thoroughfares in town, Anderson said. Spots haven't been finalized, nor has a timetable been announced.
Automated license plate reader systems passively scan passing vehicles and record images. The system alerts police when a car suspected of being used in a crime passes a camera, based on manufacturer, model, color, distinguishing features or marks and license plates. Information about cars without plates can be used, too.
Departments using Flock camera systems share data. So police in Des Plaines could be notified if a car suspected in a crime in Mount Prospect or Rosemont passes one of the city's cameras, Anderson said.
"(It) notifies us in real time if that vehicle comes into Des Plaines and passes one of the license-plate reading cameras," Anderson said.
The system doesn't automatically run plate numbers through law enforcement databases, Anderson said. That task falls to officers.
Data is kept for 30 days and then purged, Anderson said. It won't be repackaged or sold, he insisted.
The Flock system doesn't invade motorists' privacy as much as other systems on the market, Anderson said. He said the system occupies a "happy medium" between possible law enforcement uses and privacy concerns.
Vernon Hills, Schaumburg and Roselle are among the suburbs that have such systems. Readers also are installed along Chicago-area expressways and at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines.
Second Ward Alderman Colt Moylan said the camera system "definitely (will be) an asset to the city."