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Automated License Plate Readers
The Pingree Grove Police Department has contracted with Flock Group, Inc., to install Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) units for use at various locations in the community.
In total, fourteen ALPR units were installed, and they went into effect in August 2025. The initial authorization for ALPR units is for two years.
See the resources below for more information about ALPR functions and limitations and the Pingree Grove Police Department's guidelines around use, privacy and storage.
ALPR systems take a picture of a vehicle's license plate, use software to read the image, check the plate number against databases of vehicles of interest, and ultimately alert an officer when a targeted vehicle's license plate is detected. This automated capturing, analyzing, and comparing process usually occurs within seconds.
An "alert" is generated when a vehicle's license plate number appears on a list of vehicles of interest. These lists usually originate from sources like the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the Law Enforcement Agency Data System (LEADS), and National Amber Alerts.
ALPR systems enable officers to input vehicle and license plate details manually. For instance, crime victims and witnesses often provide responding officers with descriptions of a suspect's vehicle, which may include complete or partial license plate numbers. Officers can enter this information into the system, making it part of the Police Department's list of vehicles of interest.
It is crucial to emphasize that even though the term ALPR denotes an "automated" process, when an alert is triggered, an officer must verify on their own that the system has correctly interpreted the license plate, that the same state issued the observed plate as the sought plate, and that the alert remains valid.
To ensure maximum transparency, the Pingree Grove Police Department has established an ALPR Transparency Portal that shares statistics regarding the collection, storage, and utilization of ALPR data in the Village of Pingree Grove.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Pingree Grove Police Department has been authorized to install fourteen ALPR units throughout the Village.
The ALPR cameras are positioned throughout Pingree Grove according to a comprehensive crime analysis, which considers current criminal incidents, historical data, and areas with high-density violent crime. The department maintains the authority to relocate the cameras as necessary.
ALPR data will exclusively serve as an investigative resource for violent crimes, stolen vehicles, and cases involving missing or endangered individuals. Additionally, it may be employed for other serious felony offenses upon receiving a written request approved by the Chief of Police.
- Flock Safety data and footage is encrypted throughout its entire lifecycle. All data is securely stored with AES256 encryption with our cloud provider, Amazon Web Services.
- On-device, data is only stored temporarily for a short time unit it is uploaded to the cloud, at which point it is removed automatically from the local device. This means the data is secure from when it is on the Flock Safety device to when it is transferred to the cloud, using a secure connection to Flock Safety servers. While stored in the cloud, all data (both footage and metadata) is fully encrypted at rest.
- Flock Safety defaults to permanently deleting all data after 30 days on a rolling basis, setting a new standard in the industry.
Flock Safety customers, such as the Pingree Grove Police Department, have 100 percent of their data and determine who has access. Per our privacy policy, Flock Safety will never share or sell the data.
With explicit written permission from the customer, Flock Safety can grant law enforcement access to specific footage for a short period in the event of an investigation following a crime. However, Access can only be granted with the customer's approval.
Flock Safety employs maintenance software to evaluate device performance and image capture quality. This software is utilized to identify issues proactively and arrange service calls when a device malfunctions or in cases of emergency.
Flock Safety retains footage for only 30 days on a rolling basis by default, after which it is automatically hard deleted. The sole exception occurs if a democratically-elected governing body or official sets a different data retention period.
When searching for footage or other evidence on the Flock Safety platform, law enforcement agencies are required to enter reason codes to validate the legitimacy of the search and establish an audit trail.
Authorized users go through training to properly use our system.
The Pingree Grove Police Department pledges not to use collected data in collaboration with third-party repossession companies, for traffic enforcement, revenue generation, pursuit of unpaid fines, or in partnership with towing companies. Flock Safety refrains from employing facial recognition technology or gathering any personally identifiable information, including names, phone numbers, or addresses, and we refrain from collaborating with federal agencies for immigration enforcement.
Flock Safety's ALPR Transparency Portal provides a public-facing dashboard for law enforcement, city leaders, and local government officials to share policies, usage, and public safety outcomes associated with ALPR technology. This portal fosters transparency and accountability in policing technology, helping to build community trust while promoting a safer, more equitable society.
Indeed, the Pingree Grove Police Department provides access to its cameras to enhance the efficiency of crime investigations for Illinois law enforcement agencies only.
As of August 2025, Flock Safety paused its direct cooperation with federal law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), following public outcry over the use of its license plate reader data for immigration and abortion-related enforcement. We currently do not share with other agencies outside the State of Illinois or Federal Government Agencies.
Flock Safety's HotList feature provides customers with the ability to receive alerts on stolen vehicles, know wanted criminals and more. It works via an integration into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which is updated daily.
Customers can also place at-risk vehicles or license plates on custom HotLists to alert law enforcement or on-site security instantly if/when they enter their property.
The Flock Safety HotList feature automatically provides leads to local law enforcement agencies or on-site security by sending them an alert in real time when a wanted suspect passes by a Flock Safety camera. Privately-owned cameras can be added to the LPR network, provided the private customer opts in and has an MOU agreement signed with their local law enforcement agency. This partnership is a critical piece of our mission to shape a safer future—not just by solving crime, but preventing it.
For more information on HotLists, please click HotList
Flock Safety's "unique vehicles detected" feature, known as Vehicle Fingerprint Technology, identifies vehicles by more than just license plates, capturing details like make, model, color, roof racks, bumper stickers, and covered or missing plates. This allows law enforcement to search for and identify suspect vehicles based on descriptions, even without a full plate number.