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Burr Ridge board approves $1.264 million Flock Safety camera contract after privacy debate
Summary
After a public session marked by privacy concerns from residents, the Burr Ridge Board of Trustees voted 5-0 on July 13 to award a $1.264 million contract to Flock Safety and adopt a subdivision camera policy that sets a 30-day retention period and opt-in terms for subdivisions.
The Burr Ridge Village Board voted 5-0 on July 13 to award a $1,264,000 contract to Flock Safety for public-safety camera services and to adopt a subdivision camera program policy after a lengthy presentation and public comment period.
Staff member Evan outlined the agreement as a master contract that covers rights-of-way cameras and subdivision programs, with negotiated discounts extending current pricing through 2031. He said the vendor’s per-camera price for some services is $3,500 per year and that subdivisions opting into the program would pay $17.50 per camera per year in the next fiscal year. Staff also told the board the village plans to retire its existing Bosch system on April 30, 2028, requiring any village camera system to transition to the new platform by that date.
The board heard technical details and operational safeguards from Dan Murdoch, regional sales representative for Flock Safety, who described camera power and battery backups, a vendor service workflow with an average service-level response of seven business days for physical repairs, and a system audit trail for searches. “We are gonna be out. Actually, the SLA is, is 7 business days,” Murdoch said, describing replacement procedures when a camera is damaged.
Several residents urged caution. University of Illinois student Ethan Frankel told the board he supported postponing or canceling the contract over privacy concerns and cited external reports that agency access to license-plate-reader data has prompted contract terminations elsewhere. “This is why I propose that we cancel this contract or at the very least postpone the vote,” Frankel said during public comment, arguing that the cameras have produced privacy risks without clear evidence of sustained crime reduction.
Staff and the vendor responded that data would be retained for 30 days unless flagged for an active investigation and that account administrators control sharing settings. The Flock representative and staff said they had reviewed sharing settings and that, to their knowledge, Illinois customers are not currently configured to share data with federal agencies. The police chief told the board the department supports the system and described cases where camera data helped link vehicles to crimes and recover stolen vehicles more quickly.
The board also adopted a draft policy and a template agreement that staff said would let them begin working with subdivisions that opt in. Staff asked the board to approve the documents so staff could begin migration work with willing subdivisions; the board noted it would review the policy again in a few months to ensure it operated as intended.
The motions to award the contract and to adopt the subdivision camera program policy were moved, seconded and approved by roll call (recorded as in favor, with no opposing votes). The board directed staff to track FOIA requests about camera locations and to report back with additional recommendations from the chief and staff on any policy changes.
The contract award and policy adoption are effective as formal board actions; staff said implementation steps and subdivision outreach will follow at the direction of village staff and the police department.
