Glasgow Donates $5,000 To Bolingbrook Police For License Plate Readers

BOLINGBROOK, IL —Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow has donated $5,000 to the Bolingbrook Police Department for the purchase of two automated license plate recognition devices, according to a release from the State's Attorney's Office.

Glasgow presented the check last week to Police Chief Mike Rompa during the Police Department’s award ceremony at the Bolingbrook Country Club. Glasgow has now donated $63,000 to the countywide safety initiative.

Along with donations from local businesses and other community partners who have joined this initiative, $110,500 has been contributed to communities throughout Will County to deploy these special video cameras, according to a news release.

The State's Attorney's Office said the cameras help law enforcement proactively prevent crime by sending real-time alerts when a stolen car or known wanted suspect from a national crime database enters the jurisdiction. When any type of disturbance or crime is reported, a review of the camera data can yield the license plate or plates–not people or faces–of those responsible.

“We have all seen the rise in carjackings as well as in criminals trying to evade police. These cameras already have led to the arrest of criminals who came to Will County after committing carjackings in Chicago,” Glasgow said in a release. “This countywide safety initiative is already helping keep communities in Will County safe, and I will continue providing these license plate recognition cameras to make sure that dangerous vehicle hijackers and other violent criminals who come into this County from Chicago and Cook County ‘Will’ be apprehended and prosecuted.”

License plate recognition cameras recently played a vital role in the apprehension of Jordan Henry, a convicted felon who hijacked a vehicle in Chicago and was captured in Will County.

“With these high-tech cameras, law enforcement was able to identify a vehicle matching the description of the Volkswagen Jetta hijacked by Henry being driven on I-94,” Glasgow said in a release. “Henry led police on a high-speed pursuit that ended on just off I-55 south in Shorewood, Will County. We prosecuted him in Will County, and this dangerous criminal received a 22-year prison sentence.”

The license plate recognition cameras allow police to search by vehicle make, color, type, and license plate; identify the state of the license plate; and capture temporary plates, according to the news release. These cameras also capture vehicles with a missing, covered or paper plate, unique vehicle details like roof racks and bumper stickers, and even vehicles without plates.

The money for the contributions for the cameras are money forfeited from criminals, without any taxpayer dollars used.

In addition to the Bolingbrook contribution, Glasgow has donated the costs of Flock cameras for Braidwood, Channahon, Shorewood, Lewis University, Beecher, Elwood, Homer Glen, Manhattan, Mokena, Wilmington and Steger.