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Vernon Hills police report smooth 911 consolidation to LACOM; chief addresses license-plate-reader concerns
Summary
Police Chief updated the board that the village’s 911 dispatch folded into the countywide LACOM system and said the transition went smoothly; he also defended the department’s use of its license-plate-reader system, saying national lookups are disabled by default and out-of-state sharing is tightly vetted.
The Vernon Hills Police Department announced that its local 911 dispatch operations have completed a transition into LACOM, a consolidated county dispatch center, and that the change has improved service and eliminated prior jurisdictional inconsistencies.
Chief (speaker S12) told the board the village’s joint dispatch with Countryside Fire Protection District integrated into LACOM last Thursday and that over 30 police and fire jurisdictions now operate under the consolidated system. “The transition went without a hitch,” he said, adding that feedback from officers and staff who moved to LACOM has been positive and that the consolidated system reduces the risk of misdirected calls from travelers using nearby cell towers.
The chief also announced the department’s onboarding of a full-time social-services employee, Ariana Crutchfield, embedded in the police department to expand wraparound community services for people in crisis.
Trustees asked questions about news coverage and privacy concerns tied to license-plate-reader (LPR) technology sometimes referenced in public discussion as “FLOC” or “FLAC.” The chief said the department uses the LPR system only for criminal investigations, that a national lookup feature remains disabled except when required for a specific case, and that the department does not share data with federal law enforcement. He said the department performs regular audits of system queries to ensure inquiries are for lawful law-enforcement purposes.
Trustees thanked the chief and staff for their work on the consolidation and on improving community services.
