White House council hears police plan for license‑plate readers, video wall and future drones under $20,000 grant
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Summary
The city’s police chief outlined a plan to use a state Homeland Security grant to fund license‑plate readers, a video wall and possible drones to speed responses and investigations; the council raised questions about cost, data retention, subscriptions and flexibility in the grant budget.
Chief Robeson presented a grant proposal to the White House City Council on Nov. 18 to build a Real Time Information Center (RTIC) that would combine license‑plate reader (LPR) cameras, a video wall at the police department and, in later phases, drones.
"By creating a centralized center, various technologies can be combined to help officers in the field respond to crimes," Chief Robeson said, describing how camera feeds and a searchable "hot file" would let officers narrow searches for vehicles or missing people.
Robeson said the department applied to a state Homeland Security program and listed the grant amount under discussion as $20,000. That funding, he testified, is likely to cover two or three stationary LPR units rather than the entire package of equipment. "When I started the grant, it was such a short time... it will cover probably maybe 3," Robeson said, adding that vendor quotes and annual subscription costs make exact counts uncertain.
Council members pressed for details on cost and operation: Robeson estimated annual subscription fees around $7,000–$8,000 per camera and said the system's LPR data is typically retained about 30 days under the vendor configuration he described. He also said the system relies on incident‑driven queries — officers put descriptions into the system and search backward through stored images — rather than continuous identification of people.
The chief named Flock among vendors he was considering and described use cases ranging from auto burglaries to Amber Alerts. He told council members that drones were a separate grant category and, while valuable for searches and large events, would require FAA‑compliant training and waivers; lightweight units were estimated in the $15,000–$20,000 range.
Council discussion focused on three areas: whether the $20,000 grant would meaningfully equip the system, the recurring subscription and warranty costs, and the need to preserve a local budget 'out' or contract exit given technology and regulation changes. Robeson said the grant was written with specific line items and that administrators may or may not allow flexibility to reallocate funds.
The presentation concluded as informational; council did not take a formal vote on the grant at the meeting. Robeson said staff would return with further details and procurement proposals if the grant is awarded.
