Homer Glen has hit pause on its Flock Safety license plate camera system after a Will County Sheriff's Office deputy was placed on administrative leave amid an internal investigation into alleged policy violations. Village officials say the suspension will remain in effect until the probe concludes and they've completed a review of the program's protocols.
The Will County Sheriff's Office confirmed it placed the deputy on leave on August 28, but as FOX 32 Chicago reported, the agency has not identified the specific policy violations under investigation and has withheld additional details. Officials have not confirmed whether the alleged conduct actually involved misuse of the Flock camera system, and the deputy has not been publicly identified. The sheriff's office says it plans to release more information when doing so would not compromise the investigation, adding that it holds employees to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.
Village of Homer Glen officials said they suspended use of the ALPR cameras because of limited information about the investigation combined with lingering privacy concerns, according to the station's report. The village has likewise not identified the possible policy violations at issue, but said it remains committed to public safety even as the cameras sit dark.
A Pattern Emerging Across Will County
Homer Glen's pause lands amid a fast-moving string of Flock-related misuse investigations across northern Illinois. The station's report noted that the city of West Chicago separately placed a police officer on administrative leave over a Flock-system investigation and referred that case to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office for independent review. In Itasca, village officials previously fired a police officer accused of misusing department technology for an unauthorized purpose, per the same account.
Those cases echo an even larger local precedent. A Joliet police lieutenant, Jeremy Harrison, was recommended for termination after an inspector general investigation found he accessed the city's Flock database roughly eight times in July 2025 and ran 153 unauthorized searches targeting a female officer's personal vehicle, according to Shaw Local. Harrison was placed on paid leave in July 2025 before the police chief formally sought his firing, and his termination hearing has continued across multiple sessions this year.
The Channahon Police Department placed an officer on administrative leave on August 27 and referred that matter to the Illinois State Police after an internal audit turned up alleged unauthorized personal use of the department's Flock system, as reported by Patch. Channahon police said they implemented advanced audit tools immediately following that audit. Just one day later, the West Chicago Police Department disclosed its own probe into potential unauthorized ALPR use dating back to late 2024 and early 2025, and announced plans to audit all of its investigative technology.
Criminal Charges Show the Stakes
The most severe case to emerge so far sits in McHenry County, where former Holiday Hills Police Chief and Prairie Grove part-time officer William Copp was indicted on 12 felony counts of official misconduct. Prosecutors allege Copp conducted nearly 250 unauthorized Flock and state database searches to track former romantic partners and an ex-boyfriend, Shaw Local reported. Copp has pleaded not guilty and faces potential prison time and the loss of his police pension.
Automated license plate reader systems capture images of license plates and other vehicle information, and law enforcement agencies rely on that data to help locate suspects, stolen vehicles and missing people. Flock and other ALPR systems now face increasing scrutiny nationwide over privacy concerns and allegations of misuse, and Florida transportation officials have previously ordered local law enforcement agencies to remove ALPRs from state highway rights of way, per the station's earlier reporting.
Homer Glen's History With the Cameras
The suspension carries particular weight in Homer Glen, where the village board approved a $106,650 first-year contract for 12 Flock cameras in December 2025 — despite a 2023 advisory referendum in which 60% of voters rejected license plate readers outright. Board members had initially pointed to Orland Park's use of the technology as justification for moving forward anyway. In April, the village had already tightened its own rules, cutting ALPR data retention down to seven days from Flock's standard 30-day window in an attempt to address resident privacy concerns.
Flock Safety itself has been adjusting its practices industry-wide. The company now requires case numbers for most database searches, has added mandatory auditing tools, and has shortened its default data retention period. Those changes follow reporting that more than 50 law enforcement officers nationwide have been accused, charged, or convicted of misusing ALPR systems for personal tracking, prompting Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley to announce mandatory criminal case number entries and audit lockouts across all systems by 2027.
County Board Moves the Opposite Direction
Even as Homer Glen and several police departments pull back, the Will County Board voted 14-8 on August 20 to approve intergovernmental agreements allowing ALPR cameras along county rights-of-way in Naperville, Manhattan, Wilmington, Mokena, Frankfort, and Crete, according to NCTV17. Several board members argued during public comment that the devices amounted to invasive government surveillance, but the measure passed despite substantial opposition. Hoodline previously reported on a vandalized Glen Ellyn camera ahead of that same county vote.
State lawmakers are also moving to tighten oversight. Illinois House Bills 5231 and 5151 would create the Automated License Plate Recognition System Act, mandating public reporting and audit logs whenever police access ALPR data for criminal investigations, according to the Illinois House Democratic Caucus. Separately, state law already bars agencies from sharing ALPR data across state lines to investigate reproductive healthcare choices or immigration status. For now, Homer Glen's cameras stay off while the sheriff's office investigation into its deputy continues, with no timeline yet for when — or whether — the system will switch back on.
