Bowie council authorizes grant application for six license-plate reader cameras

The Bowie City Council voted to authorize staff to apply for a Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority grant to fund license-plate reader cameras aimed at reducing auto theft.

Council approved Resolution 2026-11 to submit an application for the 2026 auto-theft task force grant program. A staff presenter said the proposal seeks funding for six Flock license-plate reader cameras, which read license plates and can alert law enforcement if a plate is entered into the state system as stolen or wanted. The presenter said the grant would pay 80% of the equipment cost and that a 20% local match was estimated at about $3,600; elsewhere in the discussion staff also said the city would likely need to front roughly $18,000 pending reimbursement.

Staff described a recent vendor demo showing the system’s ability to match detailed vehicle descriptors (color, stickers) and noted that installing cameras outside city limits would require county-judge approval. The presenter said four cameras provide access to a nationwide database and that grants are awarded in October; applications and a workshop are open in April. The cameras integrate with the state TCIC system, so plates entered by any agency as stolen or wanted will trigger alerts to dispatch.

Council member Shaw moved to approve the application and Councilwoman Post seconded. During roll call, Council members Holstein, Sprouls, Shaw, Post and newly seated member TJ Mchuan voted in favor and the resolution passed. A member of the public asked how many of the cameras the city could obtain; councilmembers said they would pursue further options after establishing the initial deployment.

Speakers discussed reimbursement timing and operational costs; staff warned reimbursements can be slow and described how the vendor could provide additional movable cameras for parks or other targeted uses. Several neighboring jurisdictions were cited as already using similar cameras.