Flock Safety has reinstalled the automatic license-plate reader cameras that the City of Evanston ordered it to take down in August over privacy concerns. The north suburb responded to the cameras’ reappearance by covering them in plastic sheeting to make sure they’re not photographing license plates.
Tech company Flock Safety removed the cameras earlier in September after an audit by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office found that some federal agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, were able to access the cameras’ data, which shows who was driving where. The city became aware that the tech company reinstalled 15 to 18 cameras in former sites on Sept. 18. On the same day, the city’s legal department sent a cease and desist letter to Flock demanding the cameras come down, according to the city’s spokesperson Cynthia Vargas.
In a statement shared with Pioneer Press, Vargas said the city did not request that Flock swap in new cameras after it removed all 18 of them, and is still intent on terminating the city’s near $200,000 contract with Flock.
“Flock removed their cameras shortly after we issued the notice of termination,” she said.
Vargas said the city learned that Flock reinstalled new cameras after a Flock technician called the Evanston Police Department to ask questions on where to find a camera’s power source.
Vargas said on Sept. 26 Flock indicated it would remove the cameras “by the end of next week.”
Nevertheless, the city ordered its staff to cover the lenses of the new round of Flock cameras. They were never online or accessible to the Evanston Police Department, Vargas said.
A statement provided by a Flock Safety spokesperson said, “Flock helps law enforcement, including hundreds of agencies around Illinois, solve crimes and make communities safer, and we are proud of the results we have achieved in partnership with the Evanston PD. We continue to be optimistic that we will have the opportunity to have a constructive dialogue to address the City’s concerns, and resume our successful partnership making Evanston safer.”
“We are unaware of any ongoing investigation of Flock Safety, and we disagree, respectfully, with any assertions that we have broken the law. We have been in routine, collaborative contact with the office of the IL SOS (Secretary of State) for several weeks and are continuing to work with them on officer education and compliance.”
The spokesperson declined to comment on the city’s decision to cover the cameras.
Evanston Resident Ezra Shevick posted a picture of a newly installed Flock camera to Evanston’s Reddit page on Sept. 22. A friend of his took a picture of the camera located at Main Street and McCormick Boulevard in Skokie, he told Pioneer Press.
“Obviously, (the cameras) did get taken down last month, so it was kind of alarming when we saw them coming back up,” Shevick said. From the picture, he said it was the same make and model of the original Flock camera at that site.
“I love Evanston, but… I feel like the rhetoric that we use as a city and a lot of our elected officials doesn’t match the reality on the ground and the actions that we take.”
Evanston terminated its contract with Flock after the Secretary of State announced his office conducted an audit into Flock that was prompted after Texas authorities used the technology to track a woman who traveled from that state to Mount Prospect to seek an abortion. Texas authorities insisted that they used the technology to find the woman because she was reported missing, but abortion advocates worry that the use of the technology could be used to track women who flee states that do not allow abortions.
The Secretary of State’s audit found that Customs and Border Protection agency was able to access Illinois drivers’ data using Flock, in violation of the Illinois TRUST Act, which restricts local and state police departments and resources from aiding federal officers in civil immigration matters.
Flock then disputed that it broke the law, according to a company spokesperson.
“Flock does not own or control access to customer data. Agencies are in complete control of who can access their system, what sharing permissions (if any) they grant, and under what conditions they share that data. Cities can choose the data sharing relationships that are in compliance with their local laws and policies, and align with their community’s values. We are continuously enhancing those capabilities to ensure they are as easy and seamless as possible for our end users,” the spokesperson said in an email.
In July, the Evanston City Council approved a Health Data Protections ordinance barring out of state authorities from using Flock and other systems to track people in Evanston who are seeking an abortion, gender affirming care and immigrants. The city has been proactive in its approach to curb immigration officers who do not have a criminal warrant from detaining immigrants in Evanston. The city strengthened its Welcoming City Ordinance days before President Donald Trump’s second term in office, and Mayor Daniel Biss issued a warning to residents of the likelihood of increased immigration raids. DHS reported to the city that it arrested one individual on a criminal warrant.
Neighboring municipalities Skokie and Wilmette have preserved their contracts with Flock and plan to continue using the automatic license plate reading technology.
In a statement shared by Skokie’s Director of Communications and Community Engagement, Patrick Deignan, he told Pioneer Press, “The Skokie Police Department has proactively engaged with Flock Safety to review its customer agreement and ensure that strong safeguards are in place to protect ALPR data. These safeguards restrict access for any out-of-state local law enforcement agencies or federal agencies.”
“The Department remains dedicated to using technology responsibly, transparently and in compliance with Illinois state law, while protecting the safety of everyone in our diverse community,” he said.