Highland Park, Illinois Development News

Highland Park Police Department Presents on Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) System Effectiveness and Privacy Safeguards

The Highland Park City Council received a presentation on the Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) systems used by the police department. The ALPR technology utilizes cameras to log license plates for investigating crimes, missing persons, or endangered individuals. Data is stored briefly on a cloud server and is used solely for law enforcement investigations, not for traffic enforcement or revenue generation. The system can alert officers to vehicles on hot lists and assists in identifying suspect vehicles in ongoing cases. Highland Park has 22 ALPR camera systems strategically placed, with access to three privately-owned systems. The police department has successfully used ALPRs in various investigations, including abductions, burglaries, and locating individuals with warrants. The presentation emphasized the department's robust policies, monthly audits, and compliance with Illinois law to protect individual privacy and data security, with data auto-deleted after 30 days if not used in a criminal case. Some council members and residents expressed concerns about potential misuse of data and federal access, but the police department assured that strict protocols and oversight, including authorization by the Police Chief and City Manager for external requests, are in place to ensure data security and privacy.