Evanston Deactivates License Plate Cameras, Terminates Contract With Flock Safety

EVANSTON, IL — Following a state audit that found Flock Safety shared license plate data with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Evanston announced it has deactivated all Flock cameras and terminated its contract with the company.

Flock operated 19 ALPR cameras within the city. The city will no longer collect or provide license plate reader data to the Flock network, and the contract will be terminated effective Sept. 26.

During the time between now and Sept. 26, data collected by other agencies and shared on the Flock network will be available for Evanston investigations, but the city will not collect or share any data itself.

"The findings of the Illinois Secretary of State’s audit, combined with Flock’s admission that it failed to establish distinct permissions and protocols to ensure local compliance while running a pilot program with federal users, are deeply troubling," Evanston officials said in a statement.

A recent audit from Secretary of State Alex Giannoulias's office found that Flock Safety shared Illinois data with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. According to the audit, Flock allowed the government agency to access license plate cameras to surveil drivers.

Giannoulias announced Monday that he ordered the company to shut off access to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"This sharing of license plate data of motorists who drive on Illinois roads is a clear violation of the state law. This law passed two years ago aimed to strengthen how data is shared and prevent this exact thing from happening,” Giannoulias said. “I take my responsibility as Secretary of State seriously. It’s why we spearheaded this legislation, which now gives us the tools needed to hold Flock accountable for its actions."

According to Giannoulias, his office discovered late last week that Flock did not have proper safeguards in place for data sharing. The state also discovered the company was unknowingly running a pilot program with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Since the state's discovery, Flock has paused its pilot with CBP and other federal agencies nationwide.

In a statement, Flock CEO Garrett Langley said the company doesn't currently have a contractual relationship with CBP, but it has engaged in limited pilots with the agency in the past. As of last week, all ongoing federal pilots have been paused, Langley said.

Going forward, Langley said federal users of Flock's network will not be added to statewide or nationwide lookup.

"I appreciate the sensitivities surrounding local and federal cooperation on law enforcement matters, and I understand that in order to allow communities to align with their laws and societal values, these definitions and product features are critical," Langley said.