What we know about new law enforcement cameras coming to Peoria County in 2024

Law enforcement highway cameras will be coming to Peoria County later this year.

The Illinois State Police will be installing highway cameras around Peoria County as a tactic that is said to reduce the number of highway shootings.

Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria said in a news release the interstate cameras will help reduce crime in Peoria. The Peoria Police Department has been utilizing license plate reading technology in the city since 2022.

“License plate readers have been a game changer for the Peoria Police Department,” Echevarria said. “They have allowed us to gather information quicker than in the past and provide investigative leads that we otherwise may not have gotten. The Illinois State Police have been outstanding partners in Peoria’s effort to reduce crime. Interstate cameras will continue to allow us to work with the Illinois State Police in our efforts of reducing crime.”

Peoria Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth supported a bill in 2022 that authorized state police to increase the number of highway cameras across the state.

That bill, HB 4481, passed both the House and Senate in 2022 with just a few "no" votes coming from a handful of Republican lawmakers. Peoria Republican state Rep. Ryan Spain voted "yes" on the measure, while Republican state Senator Win Stoller of Germantown Hills was one of five senators to vote "no."

Illinois State Police say that license plate cameras have helped identify suspects or witnesses in 82% of highway shootings.

Since then, highway cameras have been installed near Chicago and in Champaign, Morgan and St. Clair counties.

In 2024, Peoria County, along with Bureau, Lake, Macon, Madison and Winnebago counties, will see highway cameras installed.

"These new cameras are helping law enforcement investigate and solve cases involving highway shootings, carjacking and vehicle theft,” Gordon-Booth said in a news release. “We need to make sure that our roadways are safe, and these cameras are helping communities address highway shooters effectively and in a timely manner.”