Flock Safety‘s automated license plate readers are deployed across Chicago-area law enforcement agencies. The company has also directed campaign contributions to local officials and candidates tied to those same jurisdictions, according to Illinois election records and Chicago Sun-Times reporting.
The clearest example sits in Cicero. Town President Larry Dominick’s committee, the Cicero Voters Alliance, received $1,000 from Flock in 2021, another $1,000 in 2022, $2,000 in 2024, and $2,000 in 2025. The four contributions total $6,000.
Cicero began working with Flock around 2020 and operates 31 of the company’s cameras, per a town spokesperson. Officials there said the cameras helped solve hundreds of crimes and that the department would use Flock technology regardless of the contributions.
A Golf Outing, a Camera Purchase, and $1,000 to the Sheriff
In Lake County, Flock sponsored a fundraising hole before the county had finished installing the cameras it had already authorized.
A campaign golf outing in Lake County put Flock Safety in a fundraising role before three of 15 authorized cameras had been installed. Flock representatives sponsored a hole at Sheriff John Idleburg’s campaign event, then contributed $1,000 to his campaign fund in 2025, according to a statement released by the campaign.
Lake County had authorized the purchase of 15 Flock cameras in 2024. Three had been installed by the time the contributions were reported. Idleburg said the donation had no bearing on his official decisions.
In Will County, Flock gave $500 in 2024 to Dan Jungles, who was seeking the Democratic nomination for Will County sheriff. The Will County Sheriff’s Department began using Flock in 2023 and operates 25 active readers, per a department spokesperson. Jungles did not win the nomination.
$485,000 Across Illinois and a Federal Lobbying Arm
Flock’s political spending extends well beyond individual county races.
Flock engaged Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies to lobby in Illinois in early 2024. Since then, the company has contributed approximately $485,000 to state and local candidates and political causes statewide, per Illinois election records cited in the Sun-Times report.
Employees or consultants of Cozen O’Connor gave an additional $14,000 during the same period. Flock also uses National Strategies LLC in Illinois and Mercury Public Affairs for federal lobbying.
Legal Limits and What the Record Does Not Show
The contributions fall within Illinois law, but key questions about disclosure and timing remain open.
Illinois election law treats donations and fundraising-event payments as campaign contributions. The law generally caps corporate giving at $10,000 per candidate committee per election cycle, and the contributions documented here fall within that limit.
No source in the available record establishes that any official changed a procurement decision because of a contribution. Critics argue the cameras produce a searchable record of movement patterns vulnerable to misuse or sharing beyond original public-safety purposes , concerns echoed by those who have studied surveillance app deployments targeting political communities. Officials in Cicero and Lake County have pointed to uses including locating stolen vehicles, missing persons, and violent crime suspects.
Key accountability questions remain unanswered by the current record. Those include whether local governments conducted conflict-of-interest reviews before or after receiving contributions, whether residents were consulted before contract approvals, and whether contribution dates align with contract signings or renewals.
