Bobby Richardson backs license-plate reader searches with permission and audits
Kendall County undersheriff (R) running for Kendall County sheriff
“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.”
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
Case context: Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
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
Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
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