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HOMER GLEN, Ill. - A southwest suburb of Chicago has suspended the use of its Flock automated license plate reader cameras amid an investigation of a Will County Sheriff's deputy for possible policy violations.
What we know:
The Will County Sheriff's Office announced that a deputy was placed on administrative leave Friday, Aug. 28, pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation into potential policy violations.
The sheriff's office said the alleged policy violations remain under investigation and did not provide additional details about the nature of the allegations.
"The Will County Sheriff's Office holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity," the agency said in a statement, adding that more information will be released when appropriate and when it will not compromise the investigation.
Following reports of the investigation, the Village of Homer Glen announced Monday that it had suspended the use of its Flock automated license plate reader, or ALPR, cameras.
Village officials said they remain committed to public safety but decided to pause the camera system because of limited information about the investigation and concerns about privacy.
The suspension will remain in effect pending the outcome of the investigation and a review of the sheriff's office's ALPR protocols.
What we don't know:
Neither the Will County Sheriff's Office nor the Village of Homer Glen has said what possible policy violations are being investigated.
Officials also have not confirmed whether the alleged conduct involved misuse of the Flock camera system, although the Joliet Patch has reported that the investigation centers on Flock cameras.
Additionally, the deputy placed on administrative leave has not been identified.
Flock camera controversy
Big picture view:
Automated license plate reader systems capture images of license plates and other vehicle information that law enforcement agencies can use to help locate suspects, stolen vehicles and missing people.
The technology has come under increasing scrutiny over privacy concerns and allegations of misuse.
West Chicago officer placed on leave amid investigation into possible Flock camera misuse
West Chicago placed a police officer on administrative leave after the city said the officer may have improperly used the department's Flock camera system. Here's what we know.
The City of West Chicago recently announced that one of its police officers had been placed on administrative leave after the city said the officer may have used the department's Flock system for an unauthorized purpose. That case has been referred to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office for an independent review.
In another recent case, an Itasca police officer was fired after village officials said the officer allegedly misused department technology for an unauthorized purpose. Officials did not specify what technology was involved.
Flock cameras must be pulled from Florida state roads within 30 days, DeSantis orders
Florida transportation officials are ordering local law enforcement agencies to remove automated license plate readers from state highway rights of way, citing privacy concerns, reports of misuse and the rapid expansion of surveillance technology.
Nationally, Flock and other ALPR systems have drawn increased scrutiny after several Florida officers were accused of using the database to track people for personal reasons. Florida transportation officials have since ordered agencies to remove automated license plate readers from state highway rights of way, citing privacy concerns, reports of misuse and the expansion of surveillance technology.
Flock Safety has responded by adding mandatory auditing tools, requiring case numbers for most searches and shortening its default data retention period.
The Source: The information in this story came from the Will County Sheriff's Office, the Village of Homer Glen, and previous FOX Chicago reporting.