Oak Lawn using seized money from drug dealers to install license plater readers all over town

OAK LAWN, Ill. - Oak Lawn is set to roll out the largest network of license plate readers in suburban Cook County.

The village has seen an uptick in violent crime, like many areas across Chicagoland.

But now, Oak Lawn police will use money seized from drug dealers to fight criminals.

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Similar to license plate readers on Chicagoland expressways, Oak Lawn will have 40 stationary and two mobile devices covering all entry points into the area. Many of the criminals travel into the area and this is a way to stop them.

The motion activated technology will give officers 24/7 monitoring of streets, IDOT expressways, and business corridors.

The license plate readers will capture cars coming in and out of Oak Lawn, and can spot missing plates, temp plates, bumper stickers, and even roof racks.

"If a stolen vehicle comes into town, it will be an instant notification to dispatch, and then we can set it up however we want within the department. It can be email, text, but once it goes to dispatch, dispatch will then broadcast it over the air and they can also send that information to the officers' mobile data terminals in their cars," said Oak Lawn Police Chief Daniel Vittorio.

The first round of license plate readers will be installed in two weeks. Data collected by the plate readers is erased after 30 days, if not part of an active investigation.