Blue Island restricts out‑of‑state access to license‑plate readers, orders policy review

Blue Island city officials announced administrative changes to the city's automated license‑plate reader (ALPR) program during the June 20, 2025, city council meeting, saying they have disabled a "national lookup" function and revoked out‑of‑state access while the system'wide policy is revised.

City administrators said the ALPR network, operated through a vendor called Flock, had been connected to a national lookup function that allowed participating agencies to query cameras in other jurisdictions. The city administrator said staff have turned off that function, revoked all out‑of‑state connections, and ordered monthly audits of camera searches rather than the prior semiannual audits.

Officials said the changes were prompted by news reports about use of ALPR data by out‑of‑state law enforcement in ways the city had not anticipated. The city administrator and police leadership told council members that every future license‑plate search will be tied to a case number and a written reason, creating a clearer audit trail. Council members requested the matter be brought to committee for further review.

Police and administrative staff described ALPRs as a crime‑fighting tool used to locate stolen vehicles and aid investigations such as carjackings, and several aldermen said the system has helped in recent arrests. At the same time, council members and staff emphasized privacy and oversight concerns. The city administrator noted state legislation passed last year (House Bill 3326) limits sharing of certain data and said the city must ensure its policy aligns with state requirements and the community's expectations.

There was no formal council roll call to rescind or amend the original ALPR ordinance that authorized camera use; the actions described at the meeting were administrative steps taken by the police department and city administration. Council members asked that the revised policy and audit results be presented to the committee of the whole for public review.

City officials said next steps include drafting an updated ALPR policy incorporating local transparency measures, exploring the vendor's transparency portal, and confirming that any outside agencies with which Blue Island might share data have robust access policies. Staff said the status of out‑of‑state access will remain revoked until the council has reviewed proposed policy changes.