Documented Incident
Flock license plate reader camera reported stolen from pole mount in Highland Park, Illinois
Event: August 7, 2025 · First reported: September 7, 2026 · 1 source
The Highland Park Police Department discovered on August 7 that a Flock Safety automated license plate reader was missing from its pole mount in front of Fidelity Investments at 1 Skokie Valley Road, according to a police report obtained through a FOIA request. The report says the camera was taken by unknown persons and that its last image was captured at 9:54 p.m. on July 31. A canvass for nearby security footage did not turn up evidence, and the camera was entered into a law enforcement database as stolen. No arrests have been reported.
The incident adds to a series of reported ALPR camera thefts across several states as communities debate the technology, and it highlights how little public visibility exists into camera outages absent records requests.
Key facts
- Camera reported missing on August 7; last image captured July 31 at 9:54 p.m.
- Located at the northeast corner of Lake Cook Road and Skokie Valley Road, near at least four other Flock cameras
- Believed to be the only Flock camera stolen or damaged in Highland Park in at least the past year
- A critical reach alert was sent to Chicagoland-area police agencies
- Highland Park says state law, city policy, and vendor agreements with Flock Safety and Axon set limits on ALPR data collection and retention
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Police investigating after Flock license plate reader camera goes missing in Highland Park (Lake and McHenry County Scanner, September 7, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated September 8, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.