East Peoria approves 10 more Flock cameras for $156,500

East Peoria’s City Council unanimously approved a five-year contract for 10 additional automatic license-plate readers, committing $156,500 to expand the city police department’s Flock camera program. The vote took place Oct. 6, WCBU reported.

The decision followed a protest outside the meeting involving about 10 people. The council heard roughly half an hour of public comments, all opposing Flock cameras. Speakers raised privacy concerns and questioned whether the devices are constitutional.

Police Chief David Catton defended the technology as important to the department, while acknowledging privacy concerns and saying the department supports guardrails. He said audits had shifted from quarterly to every 30 days. Officers searching the data must provide a call-for-service number and a reason, Catton told WCBU.

Mayor John Kahl said some concerns raised by the public were valid. He also described the contract’s placement on the consent agenda as reflecting a lack of dissent among council members. Trustee Michael Sutherland said he would not listen to commenters who were not from East Peoria, according to WCBU.

The contract approval was unanimous; the reported opposition came from protesters and public commenters. The expansion commits city funds over five years and adds readers to a system that can capture or allow searches of vehicle data. The report does not quantify how many people may be affected.