A West Chicago police officer is on administrative leave while the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office investigates whether the officer misused the city's Flock license plate reader system.

The officer may have used the automated camera system for an unauthorized purpose between late 2024 and early 2025, the West Chicago Police Department said in a news release reported by Patch. The department did not name the officer or describe the nature of the alleged misuse, citing the active investigation.

The city asked the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, led by State's Attorney Robert Berlin, to investigate independently and determine whether criminal charges are warranted, CBS News Chicago reported. Berlin's office declined to comment to CBS News Chicago.

No charges have been filed. The department said the administrative leave is not indicative of wrongdoing. It will conduct its own review to decide whether disciplinary action is warranted.

The department said it preserved relevant records when it became aware of the possible misuse. It is also conducting a broader audit of its Flock system and other investigative technology, examining usage, access controls, oversight, training, policies and safeguards. The city said it has added early-detection auditing tools.

West Chicago is not alone. An ABC7 I-Team investigation published Thursday, Aug. 27 found multiple Chicago-area agencies investigating officers for unauthorized Flock searches. In Itasca, an officer lost their job after a misuse investigation. A Bloomingdale officer is on administrative leave. Both cases were referred to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.

In Prairie Grove, former police chief William Copp was charged in McHenry County with official misconduct after allegedly conducting nearly 250 unauthorized searches, including of ex-spouses and ex-girlfriends. One individual was searched roughly 140 times, the ABC7 I-Team reported.

Flock Safety spokesperson Paris Lewbel told ABC7 the company released an audit tool that automatically flags suspicious searches to command staff. "If somebody is repetitively searching the same license plate over a period of time, it will automatically flag that," Lewbel said.

Closer to home, the DuPage County Legislative Committee discussed Flock camera guardrails at its Aug. 4 meeting. Chair Dawn DeSart asked staff to look into inviting State's Attorney Berlin to a future meeting to present the pros and cons of the technology.

Neighboring Warrenville's Flock policy, published July 17, states that only authorized officers can access the system for active criminal investigations. The software tracks every search by user, date and time. Warrenville's policy warns that unauthorized access can result in termination.

Under the Illinois Trust Act, law enforcement cannot use license plate reader data for immigration enforcement, reproductive care surveillance, or any purpose outside a criminal investigation.

West Chicago officials said they could not release further information while the State's Attorney's investigation continues. Residents with concerns about Flock camera use can contact the West Chicago Police Department.