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Council approves supplemental agreement to expand license‑plate readers after police outline real‑time public‑safety uses
Summary
Navasota authorized a supplemental agreement with TxDOT to allow automated license‑plate readers (ALPRs) at additional right‑of‑way locations; Police Chief Mike Myers said the grant‑funded $40,000 system provides real‑time alerts for stolen vehicles and certain alerts entered in criminal justice systems, and council approved the resolution by voice vote.
The Navasota City Council on March 23 approved a supplemental agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation to expand locations where the city can deploy automated license‑plate reader (ALPR) cameras on TxDOT right‑of‑way.
Chief of Police Mike Myers told the council the system the department uses has been in operation for decades and activates when a vehicle passes the camera. When a plate matches an entry in CJIS‑compliant law enforcement databases (for example, a stolen vehicle, Amber Alert, blue alert or missing person), the system generates a real‑time alert to officers and dispatch, including the camera location. Myers said officers then verify the hit by running the plate before initiating any stop.
Myers said the original agreement covered a handful of locations and the supplemental agreement would allow expansion to other state rights‑of‑way including stretches of Highway 105 and Highway 90. He characterized the system as narrowly focused on license‑plate data and said it does not capture other personal data.
Myers also told the council the camera unit in question was purchased with grant funding (he cited a $40,000 grant) and that the department has used similar cameras to recover stolen vehicles and assist with Amber Alert and missing‑person cases in the past six months.
Councilors asked whether the system operates in real time; Myers confirmed it does and described policies requiring trained users and CJIS compliance. After discussion the council approved Resolution 825‑26 to adopt the supplemental agreement by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
