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Council approves application for $105,000 MVCPA grant to add LPR cameras and drone capability
Summary
Police Chief Stevens asked council to authorize staff to apply for a FY2027 Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority grant covering license-plate readers, PTZ cameras and a drone; council approved the resolution to apply, with a city match of $21,000.
Gun Barrel City council authorized staff to file applications for a FY2027 Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority (MVCPA) grant that would fund additional license-plate-reader (LPR) cameras, PTZ cameras and a drone to provide live aerial views.
Police Chief Stevens described the request as a $105,000 package with an expected city match of $21,000 and said equipment would include five additional LPR cameras, a live-view drone, two solar PTZ cameras and two wired PTZ cameras integrated into a live-feed platform. "This grant is for license plate readers and drone, and PTZ cameras," Chief Stevens said, and he added the system would integrate LPR alerts, video and drone footage into one platform to improve situational awareness.
Stevens addressed privacy concerns, saying the system will be governed by local policy and limited access: "We have policies and procedures in place where officers and dispatchers cannot run things through the LPR system without an open investigation, case number, or active threat," he told council. He also said that LPR data would remain under local ownership, with audit controls and restricted data retention.
Councilmembers asked about software and ongoing costs. The chief said initial software costs were included for the first year and the city would seek grants in future years if necessary. The council moved, seconded and approved Resolution R-2026-007 authorizing staff to file the application; the motion passed on recorded votes.
