Months ago, Kewanee residents began to notice several black boxes perched on top of poles and located off major thoroughfares. Some residents wondered about their purpose and others were quick to point out that those black boxes were actually license plate readers.

In March, the Kewanee Police Department went public with the readers when they announced that one of those readers had assisted them in nabbing a car thief and returning that stolen vehicle to its rightful owner.

Deputy Chief Michael Minx said the installation of five license plate readers in Kewanee began in September of last year.

“Initially, the implementation involved training for department personnel,” he said. “Shortly afterward, cameras were installed at different locations across Kewanee as part of the first phase of the project.”

Minx said the system works by allowing the department to keep an eye on traffic and it records the plates of vehicles passing through. The plates are then checked against databases, called “hot lists,” which contain information from various agencies.

“These lists help identify vehicles involved in investigations, such as stolen vehicles, stolen license plates, wanted persons, missing persons, Amber Alerts and Silver Alerts,” said Minx. “If a vehicle on the hot list passes by one of the cameras, we’re alerted to its presence in our area.”

The KPD made the decision to purchase the cameras, at a cost of around $38,000, to enhance community safety. That decision, said Minx, has already paid off.

“Within the first week of using the cameras, we helped another jurisdiction with a burglary case, leading to the arrest of a known suspect involved in multiple thefts. Recently, we received an alert about a stolen vehicle and our officers located it at Walmart, resulting in the arrest of the driver without incident,” he said.

A majority of the cost of the system was paid for with the Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative grant, an effort funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance with a goal of assisting rural law enforcement agencies in reducing violent crime and the problems often associated with it.

Some residents have pushed back on the idea of having cameras constantly watching them and the term “big brother” has been used to describe the license plate readers more than once. But Minx said the system obtained by the KPD isn’t meant to spy on citizens but rather to deter crime and assist in investigations.

“It plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of our community. By having this system in place, it acts as a deterrent to potential criminals, knowing that their actions are being monitored,” said Minx.

Minx said the system plays an important role for the department, especially when it comes to investigations of crime.

“The system helps accelerate investigations by providing valuable evidence. This means that perpetrators can be apprehended more quickly, leading to justice for victims and a safer environment for everyone,” the deputy chief said.

So, while some may perceive it as a means of spying, Minx said its true purpose is to protect and serve the community.

“We have heard complaints from the public that the camera’s will be used to write citations for expired registration,” he said.

But that, he said, is simply not the case.

“Our Flock system is set to not alert the Kewanee Police Department of low level traffic violations, such as expired registrations,” said Minx.