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A Motion made by Trustee Taglia and Seconded by Trustee Wesley to Temporarily Deactivate our Flock ALPR’s in Oak Park for a Period not to exceed 90 Days from our August 5th, 2025 Board Meeting
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Introduction
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This is a motion made by Trustee Taglia and seconded by Trustee Wesley to temporarily deactivate our Flock ALPR’s in Oak Park for a period not to exceed 90 days from our August 5th, 2025 board meeting, subject to the following tasks/inputs being completed in the interim.
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Recommended Action
There is no staff recommendation on this action.
Prior Board Action
The Board has taken the following prior actions:
• The Village Board renewed the Flock contract for 2 years at their June 4, 2024, meeting.
• The Village Board voted on April 4, 2022, to approve a contract for the installation of eight Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras.
Background
The Oak Park Police Department has contracted with Flock Group, Inc. to install ALPR units for use at various locations in the community.
In total, eight ALPR units were installed and went into effect in August 2022. The contract was extended for two more years in June of 2024.
This is a motion made by Trustee Taglia and seconded by Trustee Wesley to temporarily deactivate our Flock ALPR’s in Oak Park for a period not to exceed 90 days from our August 5th, 2025 board meeting, subject to the following tasks/inputs being completed in the interim.
A) A study session will be held within the 90-day period to publicly present and thoroughly vet the technology utilized by Flock Group, Inc. Flock should consider modifications to the system and/or contract to fully respond to the concerns of staff, the Village board and Village residents and demonstrate whether current challenges with data sharing are, have been or can be addressed.
B) During the study session, the Police Chief and the Chief’s staff will present alternative strategies and/or technologies to the village staff and board, making available information and data from best-of-class vendors to assess suitability for potential consideration in Oak Park.
C) During the study session, Village staff should lead a discussion with VOP police staff to understand its thoughts and needs around utilizing Flock Group, Inc’s technology to address concerns of Oak Park residents and Oak Park visitors.
D) A strong effort should be made to engage residents of Oak Park in a respectful and thoughtful 2-way dialogue/ town hall-style meeting to hear the concerns about Flock Group, Inc’s technology, data storage methods, retention policies, and any other aspect of the company’s products or technology which causes concern.
Timing Considerations
The current contract between the Village and Flock Safety is set to expire on July 6, 2026.
Budget Impact
Should the Village Board elect to exercise the termination for convenience provision under the Flock contract, the Village will be required to pay Flock a $500 removal fee per camera. The cost to the Village will be a total of $4,000 (8 cameras x $500). However, this cost will be offset by savings from the termination of the Flock contract, for which the Village pays $30,000 per year.
Staffing Impact
Removing Flock cameras may increase the staff hours needed for police officers to investigate cases and conduct research.
DEI Impact
Flock cameras can be perceived as unfairly surveilling residents and drivers who pass the cameras, and the information they store has been accessed by other law enforcement agencies outside of Oak Park. Conversely, removing the cameras may make investigating crimes affecting Oak Park residents more difficult.
Community Input
There has been no community input given in relation to this item.
Staff Recommendation
There is no staff recommendation for this action.
Alternatives
There are no alternatives to this action.
Anticipated Future Actions
If the Village Board elects to exercise the termination for convenience provision in the Flock contract, staff will begin executing the process immediately.
Prepared By: Ahmad Zayyad, Deputy Village Manager
Reviewed By: Greg Smith, Village Attorney
Approved By: Kevin J. Jackson, Village Manager
Attachment(s):
There are no attachments to this item.