Elmhurst Surveillance Cameras Come Under Question

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst's use of police surveillance cameras came under question at Monday's City Council meeting.

For the last few years, Elmhurst has been leasing license plate-reading cameras from Atlanta-based Flock Safety, an increasingly popular brand.

In recent weeks, residents in both Burr Ridge and Darien have expressed privacy concerns with using such equipment.

Last fall, suburban Evanston withdrew from its Flock contract, saying the company was releasing data to ICE.

However, the firm said police departments control the collected information. Yet a Flock executive told Burr Ridge officials recently that his company could have done a better job explaining the camera system's settings to towns such as Evanston.

A week ago, Los Angeles suspended its use of Flock cameras.

At the Elmhurst City Council meeting, a resident expressed concern about Flock. That prompted Alderman Jacob Hill to call for a discussion on renewing Elmhurst's Flock contract.

Police Chief Michael McLean said Elmhurst controls its Flock data and that the company cannot share the information without the police department's permission.

"We only share data with other Illinois municipal law enforcement agencies," he said. "We don't share data out of state. We don't share data with any federal law enforcement agencies."

The police department, McLean said, requires detectives to document the reasons for their camera inquiries.

Under state law, the chief said, police agencies are barred from sharing camera information for immigration enforcement or investigations involving reproductive rights.

"It is our data," he said. "We are selective about who we share it with. We only share it for legitimate law enforcement purposes."

Elmhurst police have been using such cameras for a decade, starting with Motorola and moving to Flock.

"They offer excellent service, excellent accuracy and also very low cost," McLean said.

The cameras, the chief said, have helped solve many crimes in Elmhurst, including armed robberies, road rage incidents involving guns and the killing of a woman in December.

They are also useful in missing person cases. Last fall, an elderly resident was going to a doctor's appointment, but went missing.

Because of cameras, the person's car was tracked to the Joliet area, McLean said. The person was found.

"That's policing in 2026," the chief said. "Technology now has really driven a lot of policing, and that's very important. The idea of officers just randomly patrolling and happening upon something in progress is something you see in TV shows. But really, you need technology to help officers be effective."

The council's vote for renewing the Flock contract was unanimous. Alderwoman Noel Talluto was absent.