Wheaton's network of 64 license plate reader cameras is facing organized pushback from a new DuPage County opposition group, even as Police Chief P.J. Youker defends the program's safeguards.
Anthony Spears, a Warrenville resident who oversees seven ACE Hardware stores, started a Facebook group called DeFlock DuPage that had 590 members as of Sept. 21, as first reported by The Wheaton Record. The group is modeled after DeFlock America, a national movement whose Facebook page has more than 790,000 members.
"It's too much power in the hands of too few," Spears told The Wheaton Record. He said residents should not have to rely solely on police assurances that the system is not being abused.
Spears said organizers plan to make the cameras an issue in upcoming local elections.
Chief defends audits, data deletion
Youker said he fielded calls and emails from concerned residents and sat down with some to answer questions. He pushed back on claims that Flock operates a searchable master database, calling that characterization "simply not the truth."
The chief said unrequested data is automatically deleted after 30 days and that the department regularly audits officers' camera use. He said he has found no Wheaton officers misusing the system.
How Wheaton got 64 cameras
The Wheaton City Council approved the first 20 Flock automated license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras in March 2023, placing them on arterial roadways, according to a memorandum from Youker to the mayor and City Council dated April 6. Three months later, the council authorized 44 more cameras funded by a $138,500 grant from the Illinois Attorney General's Office.
By March 26, the cameras had scanned more than 35 million plates since the start of 2026. That works out to roughly 458,000 per day.
Misuse cases fuel concern
The debate extends beyond Wheaton. A West Chicago police officer was placed on administrative leave after an internal review found the officer may have used the Flock system for an unauthorized purpose between late 2024 and early 2025, according to a city statement dated Aug. 30. The city referred the matter to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.
Officers in Bloomingdale, Itasca and Channahon also have been placed on leave for alleged improper use, the Chicago Tribune reported Sept. 13.
In Lisle, three men were charged in July with stealing and vandalizing five Flock cameras. DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a July 28 statement that the cameras "are a critical tool used by law enforcement under strict statutory guidelines," according to Shaw Local.
State and federal action
State Rep. Nicolle Grasse, an Arlington Heights Democrat, is co-sponsoring the Automated License Plate Recognition System Act. The bill would limit the crimes cameras could investigate and require agencies to delete data within three days. It was still in committee as of Sept. 13, the Tribune reported.
In Washington, Sen. Josh Hawley invited Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley and three other surveillance-tech executives to testify Wednesday, Sept. 23, before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, WGN-TV reported Sept. 19. The hearing is titled "Always Watching: Flock's Nationwide AI Surveillance Network."
Warrenville operates 14 Flock cameras of its own, approved in 2022 and 2023, according to a city FAQ page. Under the Illinois Trust Act, law enforcement cannot use the data for immigration enforcement, reproductive care surveillance or any purpose outside a criminal investigation.
The Wednesday Senate hearing is the next scheduled public forum on the technology at the federal level.
