Oswego to use $20K grant to pay for License Plate Readers at four intersections

The village of Oswego will soon be adding four additional License Plate Recognition cameras at key intersections at the village’s borders.

The Village Board approved an agreement between Flock Group Inc. and the Oswego Police Department for the installation of four LPR cameras at its Nov. 1 meeting.

The agreement was approved in a 5-1 vote, with trustee James Marter II casting the only no vote.

Oswego police already have access to several LPR devices installed by KenCom, Kendall County’s 911 emergency dispatching service. KenCom contracted Flock Group Inc. for the installation and lease of ten LPR devices throughout the county, including multiple LPR devices in and around Oswego.

Police department staff was part of the KenCom committee that implemented the KenCom LPR program, which is currently up and running as of September, according to a staff memo.

The four newly leased LPR cameras will be controlled by Oswego police independently of the KenCom LPR system.

Oswego Police Chief Jeff Burgner said his department has been pursuing the addition of LPR cameras for some time.

In June and Novmber 2020, police department staff provided the Village Board with information regarding LPR devices and how they can be used by the police department to assist in crime prevention, investigation, and parking enforcement.

The devices will continuously read plates and compile data, then cross reference them against criminal data relating to vehicles or license plates connected to at risk persons.

Burgner said LPR cameras are often used by law enforcement agencies to identify and recover stolen vehicles and missing persons. They are also an effective tool in identifying and apprehending suspects whose vehicle type or license plate is known.

In September of 2021, police department staff applied for a LPR grant through the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) which is partially funded by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The staff memo states that on Sept. 21 this year, Oswego police department staff received notice that the department had been awarded grant funding to lease four LPR devices from Flock Group Inc. for two years in the amount of $20,833.

Per the agreement, the grant funding is set to run from October 2022 through October 2024. Grant funding will cover installation.

With the acceptance of the grant approved by the Village Board, staff will work with Flock Group Inc. to obtain proper permits and work toward installation.

Burgner said they will be on four major roadways entering the village:

• Southbound on Douglas Road near Route 30.
• Northbound on Douglas Road near Route 34.
• Southbound on Boulder Hill Pass just north of Route 34.
• Northbound on Washington Street between Grove Road and Route 71.

Burgner said he hopes that in about five weeks, the LPR devices will be installed and operational on village roadways.

When the lease expires, the village will have the option to have Flock Group Inc. remove the devices or continue the funding at the village’s expense, unless additional grant funding becomes available.