DeKalb police could contract with license plate reader company Flock Safety for the department’s local cameras, which city staff said could be an improved and lower-cost way to maintain existing surveillance equipment.

On Monday, the DeKalb City Council is expected to vote on whether to pay for the annual video integration service and maintenance fee to better protect their investment in automatic license plate reader cameras.

The cameras, which DeKalb police have used since 2022, are a tool deployed by law enforcement to locate vehicles in felony offenses and investigate leads in major incidents. They usually have access to a broader network of cameras by jurisdiction, allowing investigators to track vehicles beyond DeKalb and DeKalb County.

“Flock Safety can provide its services at a reduced cost because the City already owns the hardware, charging half its standard annual rate, and any failed City-owned camera would be replaced with a fully warrantied Flock Safety device,” city staff wrote in documents released ahead of the meeting set for 6 p.m. Monday at the DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St.

Previously, the city did not include maintenance provisions as part of the original contract for automatic license plate reader camera services. That means all repairs had to be paid for by the city if they arose.

However, the city has not had to make any significant repairs, city documents show.

DeKalb first began deploying automatic license plate reader cameras in 2022, utilizing Genetec-brand equipment, city documents show. They started with 12 units purchased through a five-year lease that will expire in 2027. These cameras are not included in the current project, city documents show.

Since then, use of the Flock-brand has grown exponentially in central and northern Illinois compared to Genetec, documents show. According to the city, expanded use of Flock cameras across the state has aided law enforcement in building on information-sharing in ongoing investigations, leading to multiple arrests and identification of suspects.

Expanded use of the cameras across the region has been met with some controversy, however.

A bill proposed in the Illinois state legislature would limit when police agencies can access data created by automated license plate reader systems and how long the data would be retained.

The number of northern Illinois law enforcement agencies using license plate readers has grown in recent years.

In Will County, the sheriff’s office has 47 Flock cameras installed throughout the county, with plans to add seven more, according to Undersheriff Dan Jungles. Joliet, the largest city in the county, has more than 80 cameras, and Plainfield has 16.

In McHenry County, Crystal Lake installed nine fixed and three mobile readers in 2023. McHenry installed five cameras beginning in 2022.

DeKalb has 21 LPRS in nine locations. Sycamore operates 26 LPRS under a Sycamore Police Department contract with Flock Safety. The city received little pushback when the program was expanded in March 2024.

Police chiefs across the region defend the technology as an essential investigative tool.

“They provide alerts for vehicles that might be associated with a missing or endangered person or a person who is wanted on a criminal arrest warrant,” Sycamore Police Chief Erik Mahan told Shaw Local earlier this year. “The cameras have also assisted us in solving crimes, such as helping us to locate vehicles involved in hit-and-run crashes, including one where a police vehicle was stuck head-on.”

The Sterling City Council has decided to review the city’s use of Flock Safety cameras and whether the city should look to another company to provide automated license plate readers.

In 2023, the DeKalb Police Department purchased nine Flock-brand automatic license plate reader cameras outright as part of the program’s second phase, city documents show. In doing so, Flock Safety can extend a reduced rate on its network access.

Typically, a Flock Safety subscription will run for $3,000 per camera per year, city documents show. That would make for $27,000 using the city’s nine units.

Should existing Flock cameras be used and not require replacement, the cost of the subscription is reduced by half to $1,500 per camera per year, city documents show. That would make for $13,500 using the city’s nine units.

City staff is recommending Council approval of the police department’s request to extend Flock Safety’s contract for $27,500, at $14,000 for the first year and $13,500 for the second year.

The terms of the contract, as proposed, run for two years, spanning from 2026 to 2027, and would be billed annually, according to the proposal.

Shaw Local’s Camden Lazenby, Charlene Bielema, Tom Collins, Felix Sarver and Amanda Marazzo contributed.