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Henderson approves grant-funded license-plate cameras to link with regional hot list
Summary
The Henderson City Council approved a grant to buy six license-plate–reading cameras and subscription access to a regional system; council members pressed for details about data privacy and server handling before the vote.
The Henderson City Council on Monday approved a grant to install six license-plate–reading cameras and connect them to a regional database, paying a local match and subscription cost to support real-time alerts for patrol officers.
Police Chief Taylor told the council the system would provide live alerts to patrol units and share flagged plates with participating jurisdictions. "Yes. For the patrol officers, that'll be in the patrol units. This will pop up on the computer, anything on the hot list," Chief Taylor said, describing how the system will notify officers when a match is detected.
The grant would cover roughly $25,000 in camera equipment; the city match this year was described as $5,100. Council members were told the grant is annual and the subscription cost is covered for the grant period; if the city expands the system in later years it can apply for additional funding. Chief Taylor said the cameras would also integrate with other cities’ systems and their separate "hot lists," allowing alerts when persons of interest from other jurisdictions pass through Henderson.
Council members pressed the police chief on data privacy and server handling before the vote. "I laid out some concerns about data privacy and how that would be addressed," Councilman Searcy said, asking that the earlier discussion about web servers be repeated for the full council. Chief Taylor said the system operates in real time and that regional partners control their own hot lists while Henderson would control its own.
A motion to approve the agenda item was made by Councilman Strong and seconded by Councilman Searcy. The council voted in favor; the motion passed.
The resolution authorizing the camera purchase and participation in the regional system was listed on the agenda as a police department grant item; the council did not record any amendments or conditions to the award during the meeting. Questions about long-term subscription costs, data-retention policies and specific web-server arrangements were raised and discussed on the record; council members asked staff to ensure those privacy safeguards are available in writing before further expansion.
