Sheriff—s Office Seeks County Funding for Flock Safety License-plate Cameras; Finance Office to Explore Options

Bedford County officials on Tuesday heard a presentation on Flock Safety license-plate reader cameras and were asked to identify a funding path for an initial deployment that the company says would cost about $3,000 per camera per year and $24,000 annually for an eight-camera minimum.

The presentation came from Will Pepper, territory manager for Flock Safety, who told commissioners the company—s cameras and software can provide near-real-time vehicle alerts tied to NCIC entries and a vehicle "fingerprint" method that can return hits even when a plate is missing or partial. "Ten percent of the reported crimes in the U.S. were solved using Flock Safety's products," Pepper said during his remarks.

Why it matters: Bedford County deputies and detectives said the tool could speed investigations into stolen vehicles, help locate missing or endangered people and produce investigative leads in burglaries and drug trafficking cases that now cross county lines. Chief Deputy Elliott described prior local incidents in which access to Flock coverage elsewhere in the region produced leads that aided searches and arrests.

How the system would work and costs

Pepper described two operational modes: proactive real-time alerts for items such as Amber and Silver Alerts or NCIC hotlists, and investigative searches that return vehicle movement and imagery. He said Flock retains data for 30 days (the company—s default) and stores it in a secure cloud with an audit trail; the company does not use facial recognition and, Pepper said, does not support traffic enforcement such as speed-camera ticketing.

Company staff outlined deployment options for Bedford County: a full —county lockdown— strategy using 14 cameras to cover more entry points, and a minimum eight-camera option that would cover main entries and provide access to the broader Flock network. Pepper and county staff said equipment is leased and that routine maintenance, software updates and replacement for damaged units are included. He said the minimum eight-camera lease runs about $24,000 a year (roughly $3,000 per camera).

Next steps and budget questions

Sheriff—s Office staff and the county finance director said they are reviewing how to fund the first-year install and recurring annual costs. Finance staff told the commission they will examine options including a one-time capital appropriation for installation costs and then rolling the annual service fees into the operating budget or a recurring line item.

No formal vote was taken. The finance department and finance committee will prepare a funding path and, if needed, a budget amendment for the commission to consider, county staff said.

Privacy and policy points

Pepper emphasized several privacy safeguards during the presentation: no facial recognition, a 30-day default retention period (he noted a state policy of 90 days), search reasons and audit trails for each query, and storage in a government-grade cloud. He also said Flock does not perform traffic enforcement or issue tickets.

Commission reaction

Commissioners asked about turnaround time for repairs, data-sharing with neighboring agencies and whether preexisting poles could be used for mounts. County staff said installations typically take about a week for a replacement unit, and that the startup year could be handled via a capital project if necessary while recurring costs move into next year—s budget.

The sheriff—s office said it has a trial account and is already using Flock—s system access remotely to search movements in an active investigation; staff described prior cases in which external Flock coverage helped locate missing persons or suspects. The presentation and staff responses concluded with finance staff agreeing to return to the commission with recommended funding steps.

Ending

County officials did not approve funding at the meeting; instead, finance staff will return with a proposed path for a first-year purchase or lease and a recommended plan for recurring costs. If the commission chooses to proceed, the minimum recurring service cost presented was approximately $24,000 per year for eight cameras, with a larger initial installation option described at 14 cameras for broader coverage.