Giannoulias speaks on reports Texas police illegally accessed IL license plate reader data
Secretary of state's office finds immigration-related searches, as well
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias spoke Thursday morning on reports that Texas police illegally accessed Illinois automatic license plate reader data to track down a woman for an abortion care-related matter.
In May, law enforcement authorities in Texas performed a nationwide search of more than 83,000 license plate reader cameras to locate a woman they said had a self-administered abortion, Giannoulias' office said.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Included in the search were cameras located in states where abortion is legal, including Illinois, specifically Mount Prospect in suburban Cook County, his office said.
The secretary of state's office additionally found 262 searches for immigration issues through Mount Prospect.
"Illinois must provide safe abortion care without fear of surveillance or criminalization for bad actors within our borders and beyond," said Sarah Garza Resnick, with the Personal PAC.
As motorists travel through Illinois, little devices track license plates.
The Automated License Plate Reader system is called ALPR for short.
"Our statewide policies are only as strong as the cities, counties and municipalities that implement these policies across Illinois," said Lawrence Benito, with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant Rights.
In 2023, Giannoulias spearheaded first-in-the-nation legislation making it illegal for law enforcement in other states to use license plate cameras to track or penalize individuals seeking abortion care or criminalize a person's immigration status, state officials said.
SEE ALSO: Some Chicago speed cameras could be inaccurate, reports show | Where they are and what to know
Under the act, which took effect in 2024, law enforcement agencies must attest that license plate data will not be used to prosecute or enforce another state's laws pertaining to abortion care or immigration status, officials said.
"License plate readers can serve as an important tool for law enforcement, but these cameras must be regulated so they aren't abused for surveillance, tracking the data of innocent people or criminalizing lawful behavior," Giannoulias said. "No one seeking legal healthcare services in Illinois should face harassment or jail - period."
In response to this breach, the Secretary of State's office asked Flock Safety, which operates the camera network in question, to immediately shut off access for the out-of-state authorities illegally using the system, Giannoulias' office said. The office has also contacted the Illinois Attorney General's Office to investigate the matter, and is establishing an audit system with additional safeguards to ensure any law enforcement entity using an ALPR in Illinois is adhering to the law, his office said.
"When this data is being used to track people getting abortions or for ICE to use to track down individuals based on immigration policy, it's a slippery slope," Giannoulias said.
Giannoulias said the ALPR search by a Texas officer led his office to discover other questionable searches.
"In this instance in Texas, they said it was for abortion, and what we've seen in other municipalities is it says for immigration purposes. That violates the law here in Illinois," Giannoulias said.
Those using the software must affirm the reason for the search complies with Illinois law and must further enter the reason for the search, which would give locations and photos of the vehicle.
"Automatic license plate readers are there to prevent violent crime, to prevent carjacking, to find stolen vehicle and to help if there is a kidnapping," Giannoulias said.
Mount Prospect Police Chief Michael Eterno said, "I am tremendously upset that some law enforcement agencies who agreed to follow Illinois law, in order to gain access to our ALPR data, conducted illegal searches violating the trust of our community. As disappointed as I am with these other agencies, I want to emphasize that no member of the Mount Prospect Police Department shared ALPR data in violation of the law. I realize that this misuse of Mount Prospect's ALPR data violates the trust of our community, and we as a department will continue to work to enhance the Flock ALPR software and ensure this abuse does not occur in the future."
