Round Rock council approves $181,000 supplemental contract for Flock license-plate cameras

Round Rock city council on Tuesday approved a supplemental agreement with Flock Group Inc. that adds 40 license-plate–reader cameras to the city’s system, using funds from a motor-vehicle crime prevention grant. The supplemental order is roughly $181,000 and expands an existing program the police department says has helped investigators solve vehicle crimes.

Police Chief Alan Banks told the council the cameras “only give images” of vehicles’ rear plates and “will not tell me who’s driving that vehicle.” He said most captures do not show occupants and that data “is stored for 30 days before it is purged.” Banks added that officers must have a criminal nexus to use Flock data and that the department audits uses and disciplines any misuse.

Banks said 30 current cameras have been “a tremendous tool” for investigations and that the additional 40—30 mobile units to be rotated with regional partners and 10 fixed remote-view locations—will help the city and neighboring jurisdictions track vehicles tied to crimes. Kevin Cutler of Flock was present at the meeting for technical questions.

Councilmember motion and vote records show the measure passed unanimously. Mayor Craig Morgan and councilmembers voted yes when the motion was called.

Supporters argued the system aids investigations into auto burglaries and thefts concentrated along the I‑35 corridor. Banks said the department uses Flock only after officers establish probable cause in a criminal investigation and that searches for noncriminal purposes—“to see if his girlfriend or wife is going through intersections”—would violate policy.

Banks also described training, auditing, and a 30‑day data retention rule as safeguards; he said state Department of Motor Vehicles records—not Flock—are required to attach a registered owner’s identity to a plate. The council approved the resolution to execute the supplemental order form.