Illinois limits out-of-state police access to plate readers after Texas case

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois will shut out-of-state police from accessing the state’s network of license plate readers after a police department in Texas used the system to find a woman who came to Illinois for an abortion.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, police in Mount Prospect shared license plate reader data upon a request from Texas police.

The incident occurred in May, when Texas authorities performed a nationwide search of nearly 83,000 license plate reader cameras to locate a woman who had a self-administered abortion.

Johnson County Sheriff Adam King said his agency had requested the data out of concern for the woman’s safety, not “to block her from leaving the state or whatever to get an abortion.”

“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,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said. “No one seeking legal healthcare services in Illinois should face harassment or jail – period.”

Thousands of license plate readers have been installed throughout Illinois and other states to help law enforcement track suspects in crimes. The technology allows police to read thousands of license plate readers per minute and provide realtime information on vehicles’ location.

Police departments using the network regularly request data from other law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes.

Following the reversal of Roe v. Wade, other states, including Texas, outlawed abortion and made the practice a prosecutable crime.

In 2024, Illinois passed a law that prohibits police departments from sharing data that would allow out-of-state authorities to pursue individuals due to their immigration status or seeking an abortion.

In response to the recent incident, Giannoulias has instructed Flock Safety, the company that operates the cameras, to shut off access for out-of-state authorities if they issue requests that violate Illinois laws.

Giannoulis also said his office has asked the Illinois Attorney General to conduct an audit to ensure Illinois police agencies don’t violate state law.

The Secretary of State said between January 14 and April 30, there were 262 out-of-state searches for immigration related matters in Mount Prospect alone.

In December 2022, the Chicago Tribune reported that about a third of abortion patients in Illinois are now from out of state, after the U.S. Supreme Court abolished Roe v Wade last year.

Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League, said that Illinois has become “the abortion capital of the U.S.”