A resident raised constitutional and privacy concerns about automated license-plate reader cameras the city plans to install as part of a grant-funded program during the Robinson City Council's Aug. 29 public hearing on the budget.

The resident, identified in the transcript only as Dougie, asked council whether the city had secured a ladder truck and whether the camera program was funded through a federal grant. A city representative corrected that the ALPR program is funded by a state grant and explained the grant funding ultimately comes from fees paid by insurance companies, which are borne by policyholders.

When Dougie pressed about civil-rights challenges and data retention, a city staff member explained the system vendor, Flock, stores captured plate-data for 30 days in a secured system and that it is "accessible to all law enforcement agencies nationwide." The staff member said the ALPR system is used as an "investigative tool" to help locate vehicles after crimes are reported.

The resident asked how long the database would be maintained. The staff reply recorded in the public transcript stated: "The data is stored for 30 days by Flock. It's a secured system, accessible to all law enforcement agencies nationwide." The staff added the system would record license-plate numbers and that police could "go back and look at it" if investigators had a description tied to an incident.

The council did not take an immediate vote on the ALPR system during the public hearing. Staff said the council had applied for the state grant and that ALPR installations are becoming more common in the region; no lawsuits or legal challenges were identified on the record. The transcript also records a clarification that the ladder truck referenced by a resident had been ordered in 2023 and financed in the current year; that purchase was separate from the ALPR grant.