Raytown OKs three-year Flock Safety camera agreement for about $120,350

The Raytown Board of Aldermen voted on Sept. 17 to approve a master services agreement with Flock Group Inc. for a license-plate–reading camera system at a cost not to exceed $120,350.

Police staff described the system as a three‑year lease of 10 cameras (nine permanently mounted and one deployable). "They are solar powered, integrated cellular, they weigh less than five pounds and they operate on 60 watts or less power," the Police Chief said while explaining technical features and the Flock cloud database. The Chief also said the system automatically ingests AMBER alerts and that the pooled database helps investigations across jurisdictions.

Board members asked about the term and cost. The Police Chief said the first year is slightly higher with subsequent years at about $39,000 annually and that staff will revisit the contract close to the end of the three‑year term.

Alderman Emerson moved to approve the resolution authorizing the master services agreement; after a roll-call the motion carried. The transcript did not record public opposition during the consideration.

What this means: the cameras will be leased and operated as part of Raytown's policing toolkit; images and plate reads are stored in a cloud database accessible to other Flock users, which the Chief described as aiding investigations and prosecutions.

Authorities and procurement: the Board approved a master services agreement and amended the fiscal-year budget to account for the lease expense. The Board did not adopt new local surveillance policy or ordinance in this meeting, and no local data‑use rule was added by the action.