Illinois Forest Park Police Shares License Plate Data With Federal Immigration Agencies

An Illinois state audit revealed that the Forest Park Police Department inadvertently shared license plate reader data with federal immigration agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE, in violation of the Illinois TRUST Act, which restricts local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The data sharing, which began in April 2024, was discovered after the license plate scanner vendor, Motorola Solutions, notified Forest Park officials, who then revoked federal access. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, responsible for auditing such data sharing, emphasized the importance of protecting Illinoisans' privacy and has ordered the shutdown of these unauthorized data sharing capabilities. This incident follows a recent audit finding that Flock Safety, the largest license plate reader system operator in the U.S., also allowed CBP access to Illinois license plate data, prompting further restrictions. Forest Park officials described the breach as unintentional human error during routine data sharing with law enforcement and assured compliance with the Illinois Trust Act moving forward. The state continues to monitor and enforce data privacy protections to ensure local agencies do not collaborate with federal immigration authorities improperly.