Will County renews agreements with several suburbs for controversial Flock cameras

As some communities across the country are choosing to end their relationship with Flock Safety and its license plate readers over privacy and police misuse concerns, several Chicago suburbs are renewing their use of the controversial police tool. 

Police say the cameras help solve crimes, but civil liberty groups and privacy advocates warn of mass surveillance and police misuse.

Some critics have even gone as far as vandalizing the cameras. Last month, a man accused of damaging several cameras in Lisle said it's important to get the word out about what he and others are calling the real issue—invasion of privacy.

"We probably wouldn't tolerate a policeman on every corner photographing every single one of us as we drove on by," Anthony Pareigis said. 

In July, former Holiday Hills police chief William Copp was charged with official misconduct, accused of nearly 250 unauthorized searches on Flock while he was a part-time officer in Prairie Grove.

This week, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a now former sheriff's deputy was charged with using Flock cameras to track a fellow deputy he was dating.

Flock Safety's CEO, Garrett Langley, apologized last week for instances in which its data was misused by law enforcement officers, and the company has said it's adding new safeguards to the technology.

"We have an obligation to make everyone feel safe," Langley said. "We've built a tool that demands accountability and transparency."

On Thursday, despite some pushback from the community, the Will County Board voted to renew agreements for several suburbs to use county property for Flock cameras in Mokena, Crete, Manhattan, Frankfort, Naperville, and Wilmington.

There are several suburbs, including Itasca and Joliet, that have ongoing police investigations into officers accused of misusing Flock cameras for personal use.

At a city council meeting next week, leaders in northwest suburban Rolling Meadows will discuss the future of Flock in that community. 

Over the weekend, about 80 yellow signs stating "Your local government is spying on you" were placed throughout Rolling Meadows by an organizer behind a grassroots movement that wants the city to end its contract with Flock.

Leaders with the city said they removed and returned 57 signs that were posted in public areas where signs aren't allowed.