Wilmette Safety Committee To Discuss Flock Camera Contract Renewal

WILMETTE, IL — Wilmette officials are preparing to review the village’s contract with Flock Safety, Inc., the company that provides automated license plate reader cameras used by police.

The Village of Wilmette contracted with Flock Safety in 2022 to install the units “to assist with criminal investigations and to enhance public safety.” According to the Wilmette Police Department, there are currently 22 Flock cameras installed in Wilmette.

The current contract expires in December 2026, and the Village Board will be discussing whether to renew it over the next several months. The Village Board’s Public Safety Committee is scheduled to meet Sept. 10 and again in October to prepare a report on the cameras for the Village Board's consideration in November.

According to village authorities, the data from the cameras is used for lawful investigations into potential criminal activity involving a jailable offense under United States law or the law of any state. The village said the data is not used to enforce local ordinance violations.

All ALPR data is retained for 30 days, then purged unless it has become, or it is reasonable to believe it will become, evidence in a criminal action or is subject to a lawful action or order to produce the records.The village said the data is not sold or shared with third parties. It also said Wilmette’s ALPR data has not been shared with agencies outside Illinois or with the federal government.

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“The Village takes privacy and security of its ALPR data seriously and has robust policies and procedures in place to safeguard this data. Unlike other communities that may have inadvertently exposed their data to out-of-state agencies or the Federal government, Wilmette has always had proper controls in place to ensure the Village’s data is not exposed in this manner. At no time has any out-of-state law enforcement agency or any Federal government agency had access to Wilmette ALPR data,” officials said in a statement.

According to the village, ALPR data in Wilmette is not used to enforce traffic violations, immigration violations, or to deny or interfere with a person’s right to choose or obtain reproductive health care service. The village also said the system does not identify drivers or passengers, use facial recognition, record conversations, monitor private property, or collect personal information about motorists.

Wilmette police said the system “continues to provide actionable real-time intelligence regarding serious public safety incidents.” Police also said that while many alerts do not lead to a stop or arrest, increased attention in a specific area has acted as a deterrent to further criminal activity. According to police, officers have been alerted to vehicles identified with criminal activity tied to offenses including fraud, retail theft, commercial burglary and vehicular hijacking.