Latest news with #MountProspect
Chicago Tribune
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Evanston to protect privacy of abortion, gender-care patients by limiting license plate reader tech
In response to reports of Texas officials using Mount Prospect's automatic license plate reading (ALPR) technology to track a woman who traveled to Illinois for an abortion, Evanston officials passed an ordinance that would limit data sharing in similar cases to protect the privacy of individuals seeking sensitive healthcare procedures. The Evanston City Council introduced its Health Data Protection Ordinance at its June 23 meeting to protect people seeking reproductive care or gender-affirming surgery in Evanston from being tracked and having their privacy violated. While the ordinance focuses on health care, it could also potentially prevent federal officials from tracking immigrants, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss observed. The Evanston Police Department uses license plate reading technology from Flock Safety, which also manages license plate readers for police departments in Mount Prospect and many other Illinois municipalities. Flock uses cameras to read license plates and logs the data for 30 days. It can be accessed by out-of-state law enforcement agencies with access to Flock on an opt-in basis, according to Evanston Police Chief Schenita Stewart. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said in a news release that his office is investigating the technology and company after Mount Prospect's Flock license plate readers were used by Texas officials. Illinois law bars license plate reading technology to aid federal agencies to track undocumented immigrants and for out-of-state agencies to use the technology to track those who seek abortions and gender-affirming surgery. Evanston Police Sergeant Tom Giese, who manages EPD's license plate reader system, said the technology makes Evanston safer and has contributed to arrests ranging from hit-and-runs to murders. Stewart said according to Flock, the technology has followed Illinois law in Evanston. Nonetheless, Stewart said the police department has temporarily removed itself from the national opt-in look-up tool. Mayor Daniel Biss, an advocate for the proposed ordinance, said he anticipates Illinois, including Evanston, will continue to be a destination for those seeking abortions and gender- affirming surgery as bans have cropped up for both practices in nearby states. City Councilmembers Jonathan Nieuwsma and Juan Geracaris, along with Biss, spoke to reporters prior to the City Council meeting to answer questions about the ordinance. 'We don't have illusions about what role we do and don't play as a municipal government, but we also feel a really acute urgency to do whatever we can,' Biss said. Biss said prior to the ordinance's introduction that out-of-state agencies have not asked to use Evanston's license plate readers to monitor people who come to Illinois seeking healthcare that is outlawed in their home state. Nevertheless, he said he didn't want to wait for it to happen to pass an ordinance against it. 'This is what's coming,' Biss said. 'What I have learned is that if you wait for the bad thing to happen and then try to retroactively prohibit it — not only do you not solve the one individual problem of the bad thing that happened — but also you've allowed a bad habit to form, which is really, really dangerous.' Another Evanston media outlet reported that out-of-state police agencies have tapped into Flock's national look-up tool to conduct seven searches related to immigration including Evanston and elsewhere. The practice troubled several members on the dais. 'I'm not comfortable with this… what I've learned so far has not given me the comfort that I need,' Biss said. Giese said Flock's national look-up tool has assisted the department in the past when criminal suspects have fled the immediate area, and the department's ability to use the look-up tool is contingent on EPD sharing its data. 'The national look-up is not an actual search,' Giese said. 'Flock calls it a ping. So it's taking a specific license plate, running it across every camera and then Flock will be like, 'Alright, it hit in this town, in this state.'' 'Yeah, that's what I'm scared of,' Biss said. 'That's the exact thing that I think, 'Oh my God, why would we ever dream of doing that?'' 'From my experience, the national look-up tool has been very beneficial for us as a law enforcement agency for our operations,' Giese replied. 'I totally understand the concern that you bring up with it. But by eliminating it and by no longer subscribing to that, we're just focusing on the state now.' 'After discussions with several surrounding agencies, although there was misuse, it was a very small amount of misuse compared to the daily usage of Flock… less than 1% of misuse,' Giese said. Biss expressed concern about the possibility of that misuse happening in Evanston. 'Maybe just to give you some tactical advice in convincing me in the future, every time you say it's only a few examples, you move me further away from you, dramatically,' he said. 'If our attitude is like, eh, we'll just let a few instances slip by where we're helping ICE whisk people off the street, I'm done,' Biss said. Stewart disagreed with that assessment. 'That would be your opinion. I don't think we've shown you as an agency that's our attitude. We've disabled (the national opt-in lookup tool).' 'Right. Okay,' Biss said. Flock's contract is active through 2028, Giese said in response to a question from City Councilmember Bobby Burns. Corporation Counsel Alexandra Ruggie said to her knowledge, Flock has not done anything to violate its contract with Evanston which would allow the contract to be terminated early.
Travel Weekly
23-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Options Travel
2024 sales: $354 million Previous ranking: 47 Employees: 96 full-time, 5 part-time 135 Randhurst Village Drive Mount Prospect, IL 60056 Phone: (847) 803-3000 Website $354 million4796 full-time, 5 part-time135 Randhurst Village DriveMount Prospect, IL 60056Phone: (847) 803-3000 Executives CEO: Donald Buynack COO: Brett Buynack CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER: Brady Buynack VP, CLIENT SUCCESS: Lisa Flavin EVP, PARTNERSHIPS: Andy Kadlec VP, SALES: Tad Scheele COMPANY FACTS * Privately held. * Owned by the Buynack family. * Sells travel management services directly to corporations, associations and universities. * Sales: 88% business, 11% meetings, 1% leisure. * A member of the GBT Network. DEVELOPMENTS * Implemented subscription-based pricing. * Improved customer service channels with 24/7 text message and WhatsApp support. * Enhanced client travel-management portals. * Introduced several online booking tools. * Deployed TempoTrip booking tool for meetings, crew travel and project travel. * Expanded groups and meetings services. LOOKING AHEAD * Enhancing data security measures, complying with top standards. * Advancing traveler self-service capabilities. * Enhancing AI for both travelers and reservation support.
The Independent
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Police accused of misusing license plate data in hunt for woman who had abortion
A suburban Chicago police department reportedly shared data from automatic license-plate readers with a Texas sheriff who was looking for a woman who had an abortion. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has asked the attorney general to investigate the matter. He is also creating an audit system to ensure police departments do not violate a 2023 law that bans the distribution of license-plate data to track women seeking abortions or to find undocumented immigrants. The incident highlights the fears that led to the law. There were concerns that states that restricted abortion access after Roe v Wade was overturned would use the technology to follow and possibly prosecute women seeking the procedure by crossing into Illinois, where it is readily available. "License plate readers can serve as an important tool for law enforcement, but these cameras must be regulated so they aren't abused for surveillance, tracking the data of innocent people or criminalizing lawful behavior," the Democrat said in a statement. According to Giannoulias, police in Mount Prospect, 24 miles (39 kilometers) northwest of Chicago, shared license-plate data with the sheriff in Johnson County, Texas, who was looking for a woman whose family was worried because she had undergone a self-administered abortion. Giannoulias says Mount Prospect also shared data outside of Illinois on undocumented immigrants, in violation of the law. Between mid-January and April, there were 262 searches on immigration-related matters in Mount Prospect alone, he said. Telephone and email messages were left for Mount Prospect Police Chief Michael Eterno. Violations by Mount Prospect could result in loss of state funding, deputy Secretary of State Scott Burnham said. The incident was revealed by a website called 404 Media, which reported that the Texas sheriff sent a nationwide request for data from 83,000 cameras operated by the private company Flock Safety, including those in Mount Prospect. At Giannoulias' request, Flock Safety blocked access to 62 out-of-state agencies that have sought data related to abortion or immigration, Burnham said. The company also set up a program to flag the terms 'abortion' and 'immigration' in requests for access and deny those requests. Police agencies will also be required to comply with audits by the secretary of state to mark trends or upticks in certain requests, Burnham said. The Flock Safety cameras take photos of passing license plates thousands of times a day. The technology, called Automatic License Plate Recognition, is helpful in tracking stolen vehicles or carjackings, missing persons and in other authorized cases. The technology allows police agencies to read thousands of license plates per minute from images captured by cameras along roadways.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Texas sheriff's office accessed Mount Prospect license plate data in immigration searches, police say
The Brief The Illinois Secretary of State's Office informed Mount Prospect of their data, as well as other Illinois law enforcement agencies,' was accessed through the National Lookup feature via Flock Safety by other law enforcement agencies for immigration enforcement purposes. The Johnson County Sheriff's Department in Texas utilized the feature, accessing the data from over 83,000 cameras around the country, including Mount Prospect's. Mount Prospect has since opted out of the program. MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. - A Texas sheriff's department accessed license plate reader data from Mount Prospect police as part of immigration enforcement efforts, in violation of Illinois law, authorities said. What we know The Illinois Secretary of State's Office informed Mount Prospect that its data—and that of other Illinois law enforcement agencies—was accessed through the National Lookup feature via Flock Safety by other law enforcement agencies for immigration enforcement purposes. This is a violation of Illinois law, according to authorities. Police said the investigation also revealed that other law enforcement agencies conducted 262 immigration-related searches on Mount Prospect's data. The Johnson County Sheriff's Department in Texas utilized the feature, accessing the data from over 83,000 cameras around the country, including Mount Prospect's. Mount Prospect has since opted out of the program. What they're saying "I am tremendously upset that some law enforcement agencies who agreed to follow Illinois law, in order to gain access to our ALPR data, conducted illegal searches violating the trust of our community", said Chief of Police Michael Eterno "As disappointed as I am with these other agencies, I want to emphasize that no member of the Mount Prospect Police Department shared ALPR data in violation of the law. I realize that this misuse of Mount Prospect's ALPR data violates the trust of our community, and we as a department will continue to work to enhance the Flock ALPR software and ensure this abuse does not occur in the future," said Chief Eterno. Flock Safety said it is tightening access to the Illinois data. The Source Details for this story were provided by the Mount Prospect Police Department.
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Social Security And Retirement: What You Should Know In 2025
FILE - The U.S. Social Security Administration office is seen in Mount Prospect, Ill., Oct. 12, ... More 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File) Social Security is a cornerstone of the United States' social safety net. Many Americans depend on this program to fund their retirement. The most recent data available from the Social Security Administration highlights the program's critical role in retirement planning. Social Security benefits account for approximately 30% of the income for individuals ages 65 and older. Retirement income was envisioned as a three-legged stool consisting of pensions, personal savings, and Social Security, each contributing one-third. The program was never intended to serve as the primary source of retirement income. The extent of reliance varies significantly by income quintile; note the 1st quintile is the lowest 20% of taxable income and the 5th is the highest 20%: 1st quintile, 64.1% rely on Social Security for 90% or more of their income in retirement. 2nd quintile, 47.8% rely on Social Security for 90% or more of their income in retirement. All the way up to the 5th quintile, none of whom rely on Social Security for 90% or more of their income in retirement. RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 5: People join in a "Hands Off!" protest against the Trump ... More administration on April 5, 2025 in Riverside, California. Protests against Trump administration policies and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are being held nationwide in what organizers are calling a National Day of Action. (Photo by) The program faces significant challenges. Without reform, Social Security will not be able to pay full benefits by 2033. This presents a critical issue for Congress, as reductions in benefits are politically and socially untenable. Many changes are being made to the program via the Department of Government Efficiency. Further The Social Security Fairness Act was passed into law on January 5th, 2025 and this brought more changes to the program. Despite its importance, many people are unaware of how their Social Security benefits are calculated. Since the Social Security Administration ceased mailing statements in 2011, individuals must proactively set up an online account to access this information. The benefit formula is intentionally progressive, favoring lower-income earners by replacing a higher percentage of their income. For higher-income earners, Social Security becomes less significant as a percentage of their total retirement income. 1. Credits: To qualify, individuals must earn 40 credits. In 2025, one credit is earned for every $1,810 in covered earnings (most often wages), with up to four credits given annually. 2. Average Indexed Monthly Earnings: The AIME figure is based on a worker's 35 highest-earning years, adjusted for inflation. If fewer than 35 years of earnings exist, zeros are averaged in. 3. Primary Insurance Amount: This is the monthly benefit a person receives at full retirement age. PIA is calculated using a formula adjusted annually for inflation. Bend points are critical to the calculation and can be used to ensure you draw as much as possible in retirement. For a retiree with an AIME of $7,391 (This is annual wages of $88,692 in 2025 dollars): • 90% of the first $1,226 = $1,103.40 • 32% of the amount between $1,226 and $7,391 = $1,972.80. • Total PIA = $3,076.20 (before Medicare premiums). To optimize benefits: • Aim for an AIME of at least $1,226, as the first tier yields a 90% replacement rate. • Understand that amounts above $7,391 are replaced at only 15%. Reviewing your lifetime earnings is crucial to ensure accuracy. Errors are far easier to correct early on than later on, when reconstructing decades-old income records may be challenging. Since 1983, up to 85% of Social Security income has been subject to federal taxes, depending on other income sources. This makes the program more progressive but also adds complexity to retirement planning. Consider discussing this with your tax professional and financial planner. When to begin drawing Social Security benefits is a critical decision, particularly for married couples. Meeting with a qualified financial planner may be appropriate. Starting benefits early results in reduced monthly payments, while delaying up to age 70 increases them. Careful analysis and planning are essential to maximize lifelong benefits. Social Security is a vital program for most Americans. Understanding its mechanics and planning effectively can significantly impact your retirement security and should be carefully considered before retirement.
