Illinois Secretary of State’s office says license plate reader data has been used illegally by law enforcement,

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois secretary of state on Thursday asked for an investigation into a suburban Chicago police department after learning that it violated state law by sharing data from automatic license-plate readers with a Texas sheriff seeking a woman who had an abortion.

CHICAGO (CNI) - The state of Illinois is investigating an automatic license plate reader system used in a northwest suburb after a Texas sheriff accessed the system to look for a woman who recently had an abortion. This and hundreds of other searches, according to Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, violated Illinois law.