Commission approves payment for Flock license-plate reader system; sheriff's office cites system 'hits' and arrests

St. Francois County commissioners approved payment for the county’s contract for Flock license-plate–reading cameras after a presentation from a sheriff’s office representative detailing system use and law-enforcement outcomes.

Mike Ryan described the county’s 14-camera deployment and said county officers conducted 293 plate searches from Dec. 17 to Jan. 13, producing 919 system "hits" that matched entries in NCIC and MULES. Ryan said those hits included stolen vehicles, wanted persons and other law-enforcement notifications; he told commissioners the system contributed to 19 arrests from May through December 2024 tied to offenses including vehicle theft, robbery, drug violations and receiving stolen property.

Ryan said the system permits shared camera viewing with other agencies and that audit logs are available to monitor officer queries and hot-list usage; he described consequences for misuse, including loss of access or employment action. He also said the current contractual cost is $42,000 per year for the county’s 14 cameras and that the Law Enforcement Restitution Fund committee had recommended using restitution funds to cover the annual payment this year. Commissioners approved the payment; no members voted against the motion.

Commissioners discussed building the annual cost into a future sheriff’s budget line item and noted the camera vendor sets per-camera price increases. The commission did not change surveillance policy or expand the camera footprint at the meeting; the vote covered only payment for the existing contract.