The village of Homer Glen has suspended its Flock camera license plate reader program after reports a Will County sheriff’s deputy was placed on administrative leave due to alleged policy violations.
The announcement comes days after a heated meeting in which the Will County Board approved renewing Flock camera agreements allowing municipalities including Mokena, Frankfort and Manhattan to use county rights of way for their license plate reader cameras.
Within the last few days, the Channahon Police Department also announced an officer allegedly used the Flock camera system for unauthorized purposes and placed the officer on administrative leave.
Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said she plans to take a deeper look at the Flock camera system, but is suspending their use within village limits while the Will County sheriff’s office conducts its investigation of its employee. Homer Glen contracts with the Will County sheriff’s office for its police services.
“I want more reassurances this won’t happen,” Neitzke-Troike said. “We are putting a pause on any use of our cameras. Until an investigation is done, I can’t put our residents at risk.”
Homer Glen officials in April voted on safeguards to its Flock camera policies in an effort to ease residents’ concerns over an intrusion in privacy. The Village Board voted to limit information collected from the cameras to be shared within Illinois only and retain data for only seven days, according to its agreement with the sheriff’s office.
Homer Glen in December approved installing 12 license plate readers on access points in the village, but to date only four are installed, Neitzke-Troike said. In addition to pausing operations on the four existing cameras, the village is delaying installation of the other eight until concerns are addressed, she said.
Homer Glen residents in 2023 were asked an advisory referendum question about license plate cameras with about 60.4% voting in opposition to them.
The deputy did not cover the Homer Glen community, Neitzke-Troike said.
A Will County sheriff’s deputy was placed on administrative leave Friday pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation regarding potential policy violations, sheriff’s department spokesman Elizabeth Matthews said in a statement released Monday evening.
“The Will County Sheriff’s Office holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity, expecting each member to uphold the policies, values and standards of conduct of the Office while serving our community with dedication and respect,” the statement read.
“The subject matter of the alleged policy violations remains under investigation. Additional information will be released when appropriate and when doing so will not compromise the integrity of the ongoing investigation.”
No other information was released.
Flock cameras give investigators another tool to help solve crimes, recover stolen vehicles, locate missing and endangered people and make the county safer, Will County Under Sheriff Dan Jungles said during public comment of the Will County Board meeting Aug. 20. He also urged the County Board and residents to ask questions and hold officers accountable.
“If law enforcement misuses this technology, that person needs to be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said in his comments.
Likewise, police chiefs from Mokena, Naperville and Frankfort urged the board to continue their intergovernmental agreements allowing them to use county property for the cameras. They cited crimes they were able to solve using the license plate cameras.
Several residents however were concerned about misuse, an invasion of privacy and what happens when officers try to use the system for immigration enforcement, to track women seeking abortions or to stalk domestic partners.
Flock Safety announced some changes to its policies in mid-August after reports of misuse, including requiring officers to enter specific codes.
An internal audit of the Channahon Police Department found an officer using the Flock technology for unauthorized purposes, the department reported Aug. 27.
“Since the discovery, additional advanced audit tools have been put in place to strengthen our commitment to trust and accountability within the community we serve,” a Channahon police statement said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
