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The Kane County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday that license-plate reading cameras will be taken down in the Mill Creek subdivision west of Geneva and Batavia.
Here's what to know:
How it happened: The Mill Creek Special Service Area Advisory Board made the request in a vote Monday. A special service area (SSA) is a defined district where property owners pay an additional property tax to fund neighborhood services (the advisory board represents residents in that area).
The camera issue: Flock cameras are automated license plate readers (ALPRs) that take photos of passing vehicles' plates and log them in a database police can search to track those vehicles. Police say they help solve crimes and find missing people, while critics often voice concerns about surveillance and misuse.
The sheriff's perspective: In its announcement, the office said ALPR cameras are effective law enforcement tools, but it recognizes the importance of weighing community concerns when deciding where public safety technology is used.
The move comes as Flock cameras face growing scrutiny in the suburbs and across the country. DeFlock, a privacy advocacy group that tracks the cameras via a crowdsourced map, shows roughly 160 Flock-style cameras across Kane County.
You can search the map to find Flock cameras in your area.
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