The Toledo Police Department asked City Council on Oct. 28 to authorize a three‑year agreement for automated license‑plate readers and related services — a system the department described as central to its Real Time Crime Center.

Sergeant Kevin Neighbors and Captain Ed Bombreese presented the request, saying the vendor’s patented vehicle‑matching technology allows searches by plate, vehicle attributes and unique features. The administration asked the council to waive competitive bid requirements under TMC Chapter 187 and declared the item an emergency, proposing annual expenditures not to exceed $282,000 from the general fund.

Council members asked how many units were installed (Neighbors said 111), and the presenters said the current contract would cover 94 units; two separate contracts exist with the same vendor. Members pressed on data retention and cross‑jurisdictional access: Bombreese said he was not sure of the retention period and would take that “by referral,” and said Flock is a national company whose database can be accessed by other jurisdictions that also use the vendor’s system. When asked whether the city can control sharing with other jurisdictions, police said they would confirm the details by referral.

Council Chair Hobbs recommended suspension of the usual rules to advance the ordinance. On effectiveness, police told council the technology is “probably one of our best crime‑fighting tools” and said it has led to several arrests and better recovery of stolen vehicles, but they did not provide a quantified arrest count on the record and offered to provide numbers later.

The transcript records the administration’s procurement justification and several council questions, but it does not record a final vote or a contract ordinance number during the session. The item references waiving TMC Chapter 187 competitive bidding requirements and cites the vendor’s patent and proprietary matching approach as the sole‑source justification.