Itasca officer leaves department after alleged unauthorized use of Flock license plate reader system

First reported: August 19, 2026 · 4 sources

The village of Itasca, Illinois disclosed that an internal audit of its police department found an officer allegedly used department technology systems for an unauthorized purpose. The village said the officer was placed on administrative leave during an internal investigation and is no longer employed by the department, and that the matter was referred to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office for review. The disclosure came in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the ABC7 I-Team seeking records on misuse of Flock automated license plate readers. The officer has not been publicly identified, and a village administrator said no additional details could be released.

Why this matters

Internal audits and public records requests are among the few mechanisms that surface how officers query ALPR databases, and the Itasca case shows such reviews can lead to personnel action and prosecutorial referral. Whether the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office pursues charges will indicate how misuse of these systems is treated beyond employment consequences.

Key facts

Itasca Police Department has operated Flock automated license plate readers since at least September 2025.
The village said the alleged unauthorized use was discovered during an internal audit; the officer's name has not been released.
The matter was forwarded to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office for review; no charges have been announced in the Itasca case.
In a separate Wisconsin case, the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office said former Deputy Frank McGrath resigned and was charged with two counts of misconduct in public office after an internal investigation alleged he used Flock to track a coworker for a personal purpose. The charges are allegations that have not been proven in court.

Timeline

August 19, 2026Itasca police officer accused of misusing Flock license plate reader technology
August 20, 2026Itasca police officer accused of misusing Flock license plate reader technology, no longer employed by department

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Itasca police officer accused of misusing Flock license plate reader technology (Abc7 Chicago, August 19, 2026)
Itasca police officer accused of misusing Flock technology , no longer employed by department (yahoo.com, August 20, 2026)
Itasca police officer accused of misusing Flock license plate reader technology, no longer employed by department (ABC7 Chicago, August 20, 2026)
Police officers accused of misusing Flock license plate reader technology (NBC Boston, August 21, 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 August 22, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.