LOCAL SURVEILLANCE · DEKALB COUNTY, ILLINOIS

DeKalb County

DeKalb's public records provide unusually detailed documentation of ALPR, body-camera, in-car video, real-time vehicle systems, drone policy, and networked evidence software.

DEKALB POLICE DEPARTMENT · ALPR

Genetec first, Flock now documented

DOCUMENTED

12 Genetec readers purchased in 2021

Resolution 2021-093 authorized the purchase of twelve CDS Genetec license-plate readers for $145,865.

DOCUMENTED

Program launched in 2022

DeKalb's annual reports say the ALPR program launched in April 2022 and regularly recorded more than 50,000 plates per day.

DOCUMENTED

2026 Flock contract

The City Council approved a two-year Flock Safety ALPR service contract for 2026–2027 in an amount not to exceed $27,500.

DOCUMENTED POLICY

ALPR policy 406.12

DeKalb publishes an ALPR policy covering authorized users, law-enforcement uses, alerts, and stored data. The policy states the ALPR system does not use facial recognition.

DEKALB POLICE DEPARTMENT · AXON

A broad 2026–2031 Axon deployment

DOCUMENTED

$1.247 million / five years

A 2025 Axon agreement lists a 60-month program beginning in January 2026 with a total cost of $1,247,755.20.

DOCUMENTED

Axon Body 4

The agreement's delivery schedule includes dozens of Axon Body 4 cameras, docks, connectivity, Evidence.com storage, auto-tagging, and community-request licenses.

DOCUMENTED

Fleet 3 in-car video

The agreement includes 19 Fleet 3 vehicle systems and interior-camera components. Vendor material included in the city packet describes Fleet 3 as combining evidence capture, ALPR, location, alerts, and livestreaming.

DOCUMENTED

Five Fleet ALPR licenses

The quote includes five “AXON FLEET 3 - ALPR LICENSE - 1 CAMERA” licenses and 19 real-time-location, alert, and livestream licenses.

DOCUMENTED

Axon Fusus licensing

The agreement contains Axon Fusus “Plus User” licenses across the officer-safety-plan bundles. The document establishes licensing; it does not by itself establish every Fusus integration or connected private camera source.

DOCUMENTED HISTORY

Axon selected after a 2020 pilot

DeKalb's 2020 procurement memorandum says officers tested multiple body-camera vendors and unanimously recommended Axon, citing camera operation and Evidence.com.

Axon sources

DRONES

County and municipal UAS programs

DOCUMENTED

DeKalb County Sheriff: three drones

The SFY 2024 statewide drone report lists three Sheriff's Office drones and seven flights, including missing-person searches, fire assessment, crash documentation, and a suicidal-subject response.

DOCUMENTED

DeKalb Police: one drone

The same statewide report lists DeKalb Police as owning one drone. The city's current UAS policy was revised in March 2026.

DOCUMENTED POLICY

Sheriff UAS safeguards

The Sheriff's published UAS policy addresses statutory restrictions, facial-recognition use, prohibited random surveillance, weaponization, retention, annual reporting, and disclosure.

DOCUMENTED POLICY

City UAS safeguards

DeKalb Police policy 407.12 references the Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act, the Drones as First Responders Act, privacy rights, FAA requirements, and statutory exclusions for protected demonstrations from defined event categories.

COMMUNITY CAMERA REGISTRY

Private-camera locations can be registered with police

DeKalb Police operates a voluntary camera-registration program. The department states registration does not provide direct access to a participant's cameras; officers may identify nearby registered systems and request relevant footage.

PRIMARY SOURCES

UNRESOLVED

Not established by the published records.

  • Whether the 2026 Flock service replaces, integrates with, or operates alongside remaining Genetec fixed readers.
  • The current Flock camera count, locations, retention, sharing settings, authorized-user count, and audit results.
  • Which Axon Fusus modules and external video sources are configured, rather than merely licensed.
  • Current drone models, payloads, complete flight records, retention, and mutual-aid use.
  • Current Sheriff's Office ALPR contracts, policies, and network access.