Wilmette approved 22 Flock Safety license plate reader cameras, with installation planned by the end of 2026. Kenilworth has at least six of its own, according to the crowdsourced flockcamera.app database.
The cameras photograph every passing license plate, log the date, time and location, and compare the plate against a state and local watchlist of stolen vehicles, missing persons and vehicles tied to criminal activity. When the system finds a match, it alerts police dispatch and officers in real time, according to the Village of Wilmette's ALPR policy page.
The system does not use facial recognition. It does not capture images of drivers or passengers. Wilmette says all data is encrypted, password-protected and accessible only through multi-factor authentication.
What happens to the data
Wilmette retains plate images for 30 days. After that, data is purged unless it is or may become evidence in a criminal case. The village says data is not sold or shared with third parties and has not been shared with agencies outside Illinois or the federal government.
Flock Safety announced Aug. 13 that it is shortening its recommended default retention from 30 days to seven. A Flock spokesperson told Gizmodo that agencies can still set their own window. Whether Wilmette plans to adopt the shorter default is not confirmed.
Privacy concerns
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have called for warrants, tighter data-sharing limits, shorter retention periods and regular audits of Flock systems.
The ACLU called Flock's Aug. 13 privacy updates a "thinly veiled PR attempt" to counter concerns rather than address them, The Hill reported.
Civil liberties groups warn the cameras can track motorists not suspected of crimes and reveal trips to medical clinics, religious centers or political events. Flock rejects the label of mass surveillance, saying its cameras capture vehicles only at fixed public locations rather than following them continuously.
How to check whether your plate has been logged
Residents can search HaveIBeenFlocked.com by state and police jurisdiction to review Flock audit logs obtained through public records requests. Depending on what records are available, users may see how often an agency searched the system, the reasons officers gave and whether a particular plate appeared.
According to Patch, North Shore police agencies have searched the Flock system tens of thousands of times for arson, missing persons and theft cases.
The open-source DeFlock project maintains a crowdsourced map of reported camera locations. It is not an official inventory but may show cameras reported locally.
Local oversight
Wilmette's Public Safety Committee reviews the program annually for effectiveness and compliance. A deputy chief evaluates camera locations each year. The village also provides a public transparency portal showing usage statistics and a list of agencies with data-sharing access.
No official Kenilworth policy page or contract was found in public records. Residents can file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Village of Kenilworth to learn the terms of that village's Flock contract.
As we reported Aug. 26, a Flock camera in Northfield was damaged during the Aug. 12–23 period. Northfield has nine cameras mapped by the DeFlock project.
