As violence and shooting within Chicago-area expressways continues to increase year-over-year, the Governor, Illinois Department of Transportation, Chicago Department of Transportation and Illinois State police will install 200 cameras in surrounding expressways to help solve crimes, catch criminals and deter violence.
Earlier this year, Illinois State police received a $12.5 million grant to help fund license-plate reading cameras that can read vehicles' license plates in moving traffic. In addition to the more than 200 cameras to be installed over the course of the next year, the system, which will come from Motorola, will also include a platform where information will be sent and checked against license plate and vehicle databases.
Illinois officials said the cameras will be used to help solve crimes, and will not be used for speeder or other lesser offenses.
Shootings on Chicago-area expressways are the higher so far in 2021 than all of 2020, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation. In 2019, there were 52 expressway shootings; in 2020 there were 128 shootings; and so far in 2021, there have been 158 expressway shootings.
