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Richland County approves $39,000 license-plate reader agreement; state grant covers most expense
Summary
The Board of Commissioners approved a master services agreement for a networked license-plate reader system, with a state grant covering most of the $39,000 cost and county budget funds to cover the remainder.
The Richland County Board of Commissioners on March 25 approved a master services agreement with Flock Group Inc., procured through Insight Public Sector Inc., to add license-plate reader technology to the county's law-enforcement systems.
The agreement, described at the meeting as a single $39,000 contract for equipment, software and yearly maintenance, will be paid primarily with a state grant covering $38,500; the county budget will cover the remaining balance, officials said.
Captain Sweat of the Richland County Sheriff's Office told commissioners, “dollars 39,000 is the contract, for the yearly maintenance and for the equipment and the software. We received a grant. Cap and gunner was able to secure a grant. So 38,500 of that will be paid by a grant.” The sheriff's office described the system as a networked service that provides the county access to many cameras and automated license-plate processing nationwide.
Sheriff's office staff said the system can search by full or partial plate and can run descriptive searches — for example, “white 1987 Ford pickup truck with a cap” — using AI to find matching captures across the network. Officials emphasized procedural limits: county users must cite a specific case number to access recorded data and the department audits accesses to guard against improper use.
Commissioners raised privacy and coverage questions. Captain Sweat noted coverage will vary by location and that cameras on higher-traffic roads produce more data than those in rural townships. The county said the contract dates in the paperwork will be adjusted to reflect actual start and effective dates before execution.
The motion to approve the agreement and the attached quote (Exhibit A) passed on unanimous recorded voice votes from the commissioners present.
The board recessed after the vote and returned for later items on the agenda.
Votes at a glance
Action: Approve master services agreement with Flock Group Inc. and quote attached as Exhibit A. Outcome: Approved Vote record: Commissioner Vero — yes; Commissioner Meares — yes; Commissioner Banks — yes.
