Joliet’s Ventura condemns police sharing of license-plate data in Texas abortion case

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said Mount Prospect police improperly shared information from automatic license-plate readers with Texas authorities looking for a woman seeking abortion services.

Giannoulias also said Mount Prospect license-plate reader data was used in hundreds of searches related to immigration matters.

As a result, Giannoulias announced Thursday his office has instructed the operator of the reader network, Flock Safety, to block 46 out-of-state law enforcement agencies from accessing Flock Safety’s automatic license plate reader (ALPR) system.

Agencies shut off from the system can regain access once they demonstrate compliance with Illinois law, he said.

Giannoulias was joined by other officials, including state Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, showing support at a press conference where the announcement was made.

The Secretary of State Office has also contacted the Illinois attorney general’s office to investigate the matter for any possible criminal charges and is establishing an audit system with additional safeguards to ensure any law enforcement entity using an ALPR in Illinois abides by state law.

The decision came following reports that Texas authorities illegally accessed Illinois automatic license-plate reader data from Mount Prospect and other agencies.

In May, the secretary of state’s office said law enforcement authorities in Texas performed a nationwide search of data from more than 83,000 cameras to locate the woman. Included in the search were cameras located in states where abortion is legal, according to the secretary.

The secretary of state’s office said Mount Prospect’s ALPR settings provided a gateway into Illinois’ system operated by Flock for an unauthorized use.

Illinois state law prohibits local law enforcement from sharing information gathered from license-plate readers with out-of-state police if they are using it to track someone seeking reproductive-care services or for immigration matters. The Illinois TRUST Act also prevents local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration enforcement without a federal criminal warrant.

Ventura in a news release described the use of Illinois license plate data for surveillance of women seeking reproductive care as “an invasion of privacy and an invasion of women’s rights.”

“If we are going to use license plate readers in our state, we need to be certain law enforcement is following the law regarding its use,” Ventura said.

More than 260 immigration-related searches were made between Jan. 14 and April 30 using Mount Prospect data, the secretary of state’s office said.

“This is not about banging on Mount Prospect,” Giannoulias said. “This is about more broadly, making sure that law enforcement agencies in Illinois follow the law and don’t give out personal data for reasons that should not be allowed.”

Mount Prospect officials said they only learned of the probe Wednesday evening. The village has stated it follows state law prohibiting cooperation with ICE enforcement actions.

Mount Prospect immigration attorney Trisha Chokshi expressed concern about the data sharing.

“The distinction between whether data was willfully shared or if it was something that inadvertently happened will be important here,” she said. “Either way the access should not have been allowed.”

Sarah Garza Resnick, CEO of the reproductive rights advocacy group Personal PAC, supports Giannoulias’ decision.

“Patients rely on Illinois for abortion access that they need, and it is on us to ensure that their right to receive that care is protected in our state,” Garza Resnick said. “We applaud Secretary Giannoulias for taking swift action in looking into the alleged violations of the ALPR data act.”

Reporter Bob Okon contributed to this story.