CHICAGO – The state of Illinois is looking into an automatic license plate reader system used in a northwest suburb after a Texas sheriff used it to search for a woman who recently had an abortion.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias claims that this and hundreds of other searches violated Illinois law.
Law enforcement agencies seeking access to license plate reader data collected in Illinois must first certify in writing that they will not use it to enforce abortion or immigration laws in other states.
“There is concern that other law enforcement agencies are breaking the law, whether maliciously or unintentionally—that is almost irrelevant,” Giannoulias said at a Thursday news conference.
Police in Mount Prospect, a village in suburban Cook County, configured a license plate reader system so that other law enforcement agencies could access data without providing written attestations.
In addition to the Texas case, Giannoulias’ office reported that Mount Prospect’s system had been searched 262 times for immigration-related purposes between mid-January and the end of April.
The Texas case came to light after 404 Media discovered that the search affected more than 83,000 license plate reader cameras across multiple states.
Giannoulias also noted that 46 out-of-state law enforcement agencies searched Illinois records in violation of state law.
In response, Giannoulias’ office, which generally handles policy regarding license plate readers and data sharing, announced that it had instructed Flock Safety, a company that operates license plate readers in Mount Prospect, to block access to the system for out-of-state agencies. Giannoulias also stated that he is working with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to conduct additional investigations.
The secretary of state’s office stated that it will also implement an auditing system and additional safeguards.
“Automatic license plate readers are there to prevent violent crime, to prevent carjacking, to find stolen vehicles and to help when there is a kidnapping, right?” Giannoulias spoke.
“That is exactly what they are used for. When this data is used to track people who have abortions or by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to locate individuals based on immigration policies. That is a very slippery slope.”
Advocates for immigration and reproductive rights applauded the state’s decision.
“Our statewide policies are only as strong as the counties, cities, and municipalities that implement these policies across Illinois,” said Lawrence Benito, Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
“When we are not on the same page, the misalignment can harm those in Illinois who are merely seeking the dignity and respect not afforded to them elsewhere.”
