Bobby Richardson backs license-plate reader searches with permission and audits
Bobby RichardsonKendall County undersheriff (R) running for Kendall County sheriff
Bobby Richardson said the Kendall County Sheriff's Office and many municipalities have license-plate readers and that searching other agencies' cameras should rest on prior permission built on trust between agencies.
“We have several license plate readers at the Sheriff’s Office as do multiple municipalities within the county and throughout the state, I think that having the prior permission to utilize that search is something that you build with trust, with trust of other municipalities, knowing that your standards and your policies are guided in the best practices.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
Networked automated license-plate readers record passing vehicles and let agencies search or share travel records across locations. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to prohibit these networks, keep them with legal limits, or defend their use for investigations. This tracker records attributable positions on that choice, including proposals that would affect only public funding or data access.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Shaw Local report on a Sept. 21, 2026, League of Women Voters Aurora Area forum for the candidates for Kendall County sheriff in Illinois.
Before the quotation
At a League of Women Voters Aurora Area forum, the moderator asked whether the Sheriff's Office should be able to search Flock cameras run by municipalities such as Oswego without their permission, and who audits such searches. Richardson said "unfettered access" to the license-plate reader system should not happen.
After the quotation
Richardson said the Sheriff's Office runs 30-day audits and random audits, and that an incident or report number must be entered to look up any license plate.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether networked license-plate camera systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Richardson describes the Sheriff's Office's own readers and supports continued use, but says searches of other agencies' cameras should rest on prior permission and cites audits, so he backs the systems with limits rather than without them.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Flock Safety
More from this case
Read the full caseJacob Burnett says Flock-style cameras should be done away with, with warrants required if they stay
“The systems themselves can be modified to prevent nearly all abuse and be made more secure by requiring warrants for access or follow through on any data the systems collect and have all data stored on the hardware itself preventing viewing from remote locations, requiring strict login credentials and a connecting warrant number to access. These are common sense changes that if the systems are to be used I feel could correct a lot of abuse or privacy concerns but I also feel the systems should be done away with overall, especially in the realm of predictive crime analytics.”Read statement
Dean Brewer, an independent candidate for Tennessee governor, says Flock cameras should be banned
“I believe flock cameras should be banned.”Read statement
Buddy Carter says license plate cameras help investigators but need privacy safeguards
“Technologies like license plate recognition cameras can provide valuable investigative tools, but they have also raised important questions about privacy and government oversight. As these systems become more common, it is important to balance public safety with appropriate safeguards that protect individual privacy.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Bobby Richardson backs license-plate reader searches with permission and audits
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/3125-bobby-richardson-said-the-kendall-county-sheriff-s
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Bobby Richardson backs license-plate reader searches with permission and audits". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3125-bobby-richardson-said-the-kendall-county-sheriff-s