Sycamore police to expand license plate reader program

SYCAMORE – After installing nine license plate readers throughout the city in 2023, Sycamore police have received approval from the City Council to install 17 more cameras using federal grant funding, according to city documents.

The first nine cameras were approved by the Sycamore City Council in December 2022. The cameras do not allow the police to issue citations for traffic violations, such as not stopping at a red light, police have said.

Sycamore Police Chief Jim Winters said this week that the first year of operating the license plate readers had its trials and tribulations.

“I think the first year there’s been a learning curve, us just getting used to the technology and how to apply it, but we have had some successes, especially when we apply it around commercial areas, with retail theft,” Winters said.

The nine license plate readers installed in Sycamore in 2023 were fully funded by a $22,800 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, according to city documents. The funding for the expansion to 17 cameras comes from the state, however.

Sycamore has received $89,000 in grant funding from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to expand the license plate reader program, according to city documents.

Winters said the readers, which retain captured data for 30 days via a cloud-based storage system, helped his department identify cars associated with a crime after a pursuit was called off.

“We’ve had some varied success on it, and it’s going in the right direction,” Winters said. “And the grant money’s great to have, obviously.”