By Mark Rivera and Barb Markoff, Christine Tressel and Tom Jones | ABC7
Amidst growing outcry and mounting privacy concerns over misuse of powerful police surveillance technology, the ABC7 I-Team found multiple Chicago-area law enforcement agencies are now investigating their own officers for unauthorized use of the location tracking software.
From tracking ex-romantic partners to searching a former employer, at least two agencies have now forwarded cases of their officers misusing Flock Safety license plate reading technology to county prosecutors for review of possible criminal charges.
The I-Team filed 130 public records requests with local law enforcement agencies across Illinois and Indiana for internal investigation reports into misuse of FLOCK automated license plate reading (ALPR) cameras and others that can track a person’s location in real time.
Responses are continuing to come in but have already revealed cases of misuse.
In Prairie Grove, Police Chief Michael Goins said he discovered one of his officers had conducted hundreds of Flock camera searches, but not for any official purpose.
Goins said Officer William Copp was searching “ex-spouses, ex-girlfriends, ex-boyfriends of current girlfriends, people that had some sort of domestic relationship with him… One individual was searched approximately 140 times.”
Goins said he acted quickly and Copp was arrested and charged in McHenry County with official misconduct.
Prairie Grove is not alone.
The I-Team found at least 10 examples of local area law enforcement agencies investigating their own officers for misusing Flock and other license plate reading technology.
Report continues here.
Related: Some recent Daily Herald reports-
- “Bartlett delays decision on renewal of Flock camera contract”
- “‘It’s a little bit terrifying’: Mundelein trustees raise concerns about automated license plate readers”
- “Rolling Meadows council threatens to remove Flock cameras over data sharing worries”
- “Bloomingdale police officer’s possible misuse of Flock cameras under investigation”
- “Itasca police officer used ‘technology systems’ inappropriately, officials say”
- “Bartlett community debates use of Flock cameras as village considers extending contract”
- “Effort to reconsider Flock contract in Park Ridge comes up short”