Public pushback to Flock cameras spark variety of government responses

By Sean Reed | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Across the country, opposition to license plate cameras created by Flock Safety is mounting. Major cities and small communities alike are deciding to end their contracts with the company – Illinois being no exception.

Cities in Illinois, such as Oak Park and Evanston, have chosen to end contracts with the company, even as police departments have said they’re a useful tool in law enforcement.

In Springfield, aldermen were at odds in recent weeks over an ordinance to renew their contract with Flock for two years, costing taxpayers half a million dollars.

On Tuesday, council passed the measure while allowing for more transparency and regular public reports on the cameras’ effectiveness.

“It’s some simple things, and I’m just asking that to be standard and be given to us on multiple things. Transparency, equitable – making sure that these things are fair – and also reporting back to us so we as a council can, come budget time, look to address these things,” said Alderman Shawn Gregory.

Gregory was opposed to renewing the contract, but he said he was able to draft a plan for transparency based on guidance from organizations like the ACLU.

The council negotiated changes with the police department during the meeting, and passed it with two members opposed to any stipulations.

In contrast, the Madison, Wisconsin, area recently ended their partnership with Flock over data privacy risks and outside access.

Andrew Dodd, a Springfield deputy chief, said the data collected by Flock is stored on servers operated by the company, but there are security measures such as data deletion after 30 days.

He confirmed there are limits on access, aside from departments within 50 miles of the city.

“Our standard right now is within 50 miles. If an agency gets Flock, they can get access to ours because of how close we are. Outside of that 50 mile radius within the state of Illinois, even Illinois agencies have to send a request,” Dodd said.

Some aldermen still had concerns over the level of access by other agencies.

A 2025 audit by the secretary of state found federal authorities accessed data collected by Illinois-based ALPRs in partnership with Flock – in violation of state law.

Dodd said federal agencies can’t access their database – at least directly.

“Our officers that are assigned to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, they should be able to access the system. Even though they’re assigned to work with the FBI, it’s a powerful tool,” Dodd said. “I don’t think we can carve them out of this.”

Community members expressed worry that, even with data safety and privacy measures, cameras have been used illegally by officers within departments nationwide, including in Illinois.

William Copp, a police chief in McHenry county, was recently alleged to have made unauthorized searches in a department database in order to track former romantic partners and others.

Copp was charged over the reported hundreds of unauthorized searches he made, many while off-duty, according to local media reporting.

Springfield’s council voted unanimously to renew the contract for two years, despite continued calls from residents to remove the cameras.