The Oversight Project calls for investigation into Fusus, Oak Brook
contract
[May 18, 2026]
By Greg Bishop | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – The Oak Brook police chief welcomes an
investigation into how the village obtained a multi-million taxpayer
funded police technology contract.
In a report provided exclusively to The Center Square, The Oversight
Project explains it started looking into a contract Oak Brook, Illinois
entered with Fusus police technology after reviewing an inspector
general report from Atlanta that included more than a dozen other
cities.
The Oversight Project says that 2025 Atlanta Ethics Office report
concluding an Atlanta Police Department official’s actions constituted
at least an “appearance of impropriety” and recommended disciplinary
action. It also showed how the official “duped” multiple cities into
signing multimillion dollar contracts with FUSUS.
One of the jurisdictions mentioned in the Atlanta Ethics investigation
was Oak Brook, Illinois. The Oversight Project obtained public records
around the nearly $3.4 million, multi-year grant between Oak Brook and
Fusus.
“The ones that we found in DuPage County are particularly alarming and
so what we found here is that a Fusus employee, who is now deceased,
actually had a cozy relationship with the Oak Brook Police Department,”
Kyle Brosnan, general counsel for The Oversight Project, told The Center
Square.
The Oversight Project said there should be an “exhaustive investigation”
into the situation by public integrity and commercial regulators at the
state and federal level.
“I’m an old congressional investigator that has done dozens of
investigations and we make a concerted effort to reduce editorialization,”
Brosnan said. “The records speak for themselves.”
Oak Brook Police Chief Brian Strockis, who is named in The Oversight
Project’s report, told The Center Square he welcomes an investigation.
“I welcome any investigation as it will not only clear me of any
wrongdoing but will bring to light that effectiveness of the solutions
the village has implemented in coordination with the attorney general’s
office,” Strockis told The Center Square in an email.
While Strockis confirmed some of The Oversight Project's findings, he
denied others as “completely false.”
“... please note that I will take appropriate action to protect my name
and reputation, as well as that of the village of Oak Brook,” Strockis
said.
[to top of second column]
|
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office, which is also named in the
report, told The Center Square it is “confident” their process is
“fair.”
“The organized crime grant process has awarded $5 million each year
to our law enforcement partners combating organized retail crime
across the state of Illinois,” said Annie Thompson, director of
media relations with the Illinois Attorney General’s office. “To
date, over 200 law enforcement grants have been awarded, and we are
confident that our process is fair and supports local law
enforcement efforts to address organized retail crime in their
communities.”
In a Feb. 23, 2023 post to the Oak Brook Police Department's
Facebook page, the department said "It was an honor to host Illinois
Attorney General Kwame Raoul and DuPage County State's Attorney Bob
Berlin at the Police Department today to display our Fusus Real Time
Crime Center platform."
"The Police Department was awarded grant funds from the Attorney
General's Organized Retail Crime Task Force that will greatly assist
us with our pro-active policing efforts," the post said.
Oak Brook received $166,889 in ORC grant funding from the attorney
general's office.
Axon, which bought Fusus, did not return multiple messages seeking
comment.
Brosnan said the public wants police to have the best technology to
keep the community safe, but the brazenness he said they found
through public records is “certainly alarming.”
“You have contracting officials or folks with contracting authority
sort of gearing taxpayer money to a particular entity.” He said that
“is not the best stewards of taxpayer dollars, to put it mildly.”
Among the issues The Oversight Project alleges is Fusus received
advance insider information on grant opportunities, and the company
routinely received non-public information, including against
competing vendors and confidential government communications.
|
