Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Technology topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Gunter council approves application for state grant to buy license-plate readers
Summary
The Gunter City Council unanimously approved a resolution to apply for a state grant to purchase five Flock Safety license-plate readers; the city would cover 20% annual costs, about $2,500 a year, if awarded.
The Gunter City Council voted unanimously May 20 to apply for a Motor Vehicles Crime Prevention Authority grant tied to a state Senate bill to purchase license-plate readers from Flock Safety.
The council approved a resolution to seek the grant after a presentation from Dan, who described the license-plate readers as a tool to detect wanted or stolen vehicles and speed alerts. "This grant . . . will pay for 80% of these camera systems," Dan said, adding the devices cost about $3,000 each and the city’s 20% share would amount to roughly $2,500 annually for the five cameras the city proposes to install.
The purchase would place five solar-powered camera units around the city — on the north, south, east and west approaches and one at the golf-clubhouse/bridge area — to create what presenters called a "bubble" of detection around Gunter. A video shown to council included remarks by Mr. Miles, a law enforcement speaker, who said the system can deliver alerts in "a matter of seconds" and that it had helped nearby agencies with arrests and court evidence.
Presenters said the system uses a nationwide database and dashboard: when a read matches a wanted or stolen vehicle, an alert is pushed to officers' phones so they can respond with time and location details. Staff said initial start-up and registration fees were negotiated and waived by the vendor for Gunter; the city would remain responsible for the ongoing 20% share.
Council discussion touched on privacy and use: council members asked about ties to Silver Alert and to TxDOT; presenters confirmed Silver Alert integration is a goal and said TxDOT connection was not confirmed. The presenters also discussed partnering with homeowners associations and letting HOAs donate equipment while the police department retains operational control.
After discussion, Councilmember Wade moved to approve the resolution to apply for the grant; Councilmember Dave seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
The council and staff discussed budgeting the annual $2,500 city share into next year’s budget cycles and planned to follow up with department heads to include the amount in budget documents.
