You voted NO.
The Board bought the cameras anyway.
On August 31, 2026 the Village of Homer Glen suspended its Flock cameras, three days after a Will County deputy was placed on leave amid reported allegations about how the plate-reader database was used. Nine months earlier, Heidi Pacella stood at the podium and asked the Board to slow down and wait for stronger safeguards and legislation before buying them.
The Village’s own recording, starting at the moment she reaches the podium. Open on YouTube · Every public comment
It’s an army collecting data about everybody everywhere.
She spoke for about three minutes against the Flock contract, at the meeting where the Board approved it 5–1. It is in the Village’s own recording and its own minutes.
Three things, on the record, before the vote.
- 1
The Fourth Amendment. Cameras that “overstep” the protection against unlawful searches and seizures — “an army collecting data about everybody everywhere,” like a police officer standing on your block taking notes every time your family leaves the driveway.
- 2
Your personal data. The Village said in 2022 that Flock couldn’t collect personally identifiable information. She told the Board that wasn’t true: the cameras track every movement and connect people to plates.
- 3
The state had already caught Flock breaking the law. In her words: “In August, the Illinois Secretary of State said that Flock illegally shared data, and Flock admitted that they did not create strong enough compliance protocols.”
A public vote, then a purchase order.
Four years, one direction, until last week.
- Jan 26, 2022The Board starts a two-year Flock trial: $29,000 the first year, $25,000 the second.
- Apr 4, 2023Residents vote on license-plate readers. 60% say NO, 3,430 to 2,253.Advisory referendum, certified by the Will County Clerk.
- Aug 25, 2025The Illinois Secretary of State’s audit finds Flock gave U.S. Customs and Border Protection access to Illinois cameras, violating the 2023 state law. Access is ordered shut off.
- Dec 10, 2025The Board approves 12 cameras, 5–1. Heidi speaks against it in public comment.Watch the moment
- Apr 8, 2026The Board approves the Sheriff’s plate-reader agreement and Flock’s provider terms. Lepore votes no on each.
- May 13, 2026A $1,200 permit-fee waiver for the camera installs splits the Board 3–3. The Mayor breaks the tie: aye.
- Aug 28, 2026The Will County Sheriff’s Office places a deputy on administrative leave pending an internal-affairs investigation into what it describes only as “potential policy violations.”The Sun-Times and Joliet Patch report the allegations involve the plate-reader database. The Sheriff’s Office has not confirmed that.
- Aug 31, 2026The Village suspends its Flock cameras “pending final determination of the investigation and review of the Sheriff’s ALPR protocol.”Village news flash, citing the Patch report.
Rules on paper did not stop the searches.
cameras a Texas sheriff’s deputy searched in a single query, across 6,809 networks, looking for a woman who had an abortion. Illinois cameras were included.
Search logs obtained by 404 Media, May 2025.immigration-related searches of Mount Prospect, Illinois plate data by outside agencies in about three months, found by the Secretary of State’s audit.
January 14 to April 30, 2025. Mount Prospect’s chief said no member of his department shared the data in violation of the law; the department said the searches were run by outside agencies.Mount Prospect had its own policies. Illinois had a law. The searches happened anyway, and the department learned about them from a phone call from Springfield.
It’s equivalent to having a police officer stand on your block and take notes while you leave your driveway with your family.
Heidi Pacella, public comment, December 10, 2025
Suspended. Not settled.
“The Village understands that the investigation has to take its course and remains committed to public safety. However, given the limited information that has been reported to date, and the privacy concerns at issue, the Village has suspended the utilization of Flock ALPR cameras located within the Village of Homer Glen, pending final determination of the investigation and review of the Sheriff’s ALPR protocol.”Village of Homer Glen statement, August 31, 2026
Respect the vote.
Sixty percent of Homer Glen said no in 2023. That should have ended it. If residents say no, the answer is no.
Answer the question before any camera comes back on.
Who searched Homer Glen’s data, for what, and how would the Village ever find out? Residents deserve that answer in public, not in a vendor’s dashboard.
Your neighbors voted no too. Remind them.
This is the card Facebook shows when you share the page.
Links point to heidiforhomer.com/issues/flock-cameras.Every figure on this page, and where it comes from.
- Will County Clerk, certified results, Consolidated Election April 4, 2023: Village of Homer Glen plate-reader question, YES 2,253 (39.64%), NO 3,430 (60.36%). willcountyclerk.gov
- Village of Homer Glen, Board of Trustees agenda packet, December 10, 2025, item L.7: Flock Safety order form, 12 cameras, $57,150 year one, $49,500 annual, $106,650 total. homerglenil.org
- Village of Homer Glen, Board of Trustees minutes, December 10, 2025: approved 5–1, public comment. homerglenil.org
- Village of Homer Glen, Board meeting video, December 10, 2025, public comment at 7:47. youtube.com
- Village of Homer Glen, Board of Trustees minutes: January 26, 2022 (Flock trial), April 8, 2026 (Sheriff ALPR agreement), May 13, 2026 (permit-fee waiver, Mayor’s tie-break). homerglenil.org agenda center
- Illinois Secretary of State, August 25, 2025: audit finds Flock Safety in violation of state law for sharing Illinois plate data with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. ilsos.gov · NPR Illinois
- Village of Homer Glen, “FLOCK Update” news flash, August 31, 2026. homerglenil.org · Chicago Sun-Times, September 1, 2026. suntimes.com · ABC7, September 1, 2026. ABC7 · Patch Joliet, August 31, 2026, carrying the Will County Sheriff’s Office statement. patch.com · FOX 32 Chicago, September 1, 2026. fox32chicago.com
- Electronic Frontier Foundation, May 2025, on 404 Media’s reporting: Texas deputy’s search of 83,000 cameras across 6,809 networks. eff.org
- Daily Herald, June 16, 2025, and Mount Prospect Police Department statement: 262 immigration-related searches, January 14 to April 30, 2025. dailyherald.com · mountprospect.org