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York Council approves Flock license-plate-reader lease after weeks of questions on cost and privacy
Summary
The City of York approved a $49,799 lease for 12 Flock license-plate-reader cameras to be placed at major town entrances. Officials said the value lies in the nationwide network of plate reads and the systemretains reads for 30 days unless retained for evidence; council members pressed staff on costs and scope.
The York City Council voted unanimously on Nov. 6 to approve a lease agreement with Flock Group (Flock Safety) for a 12-camera license-plate-reader (LPR) system, council members confirmed after a lengthy presentation and Q&A about costs, data retention and operational use.
Chief Jaden told the council the systemexplained the core value is the vendornetwork: "the plates will get put in there and we'll get a ping" that alerts officers when a flagged plate enters the community, he said, adding the network supports Amber and Silver Alerts, stolen-vehicle checks and other bulletins shared across jurisdictions.
Chief Jaden said the system retains plate reads for 30 days before automatic deletion unless a record is pulled for evidentiary reasons, and emphasized the cameras operate on public roadways and do not perform facial recognition.
Council members pressed staff on price and contract terms. The quote discussed at the meeting was stated as $49,799 for the 12-camera lease including four upgraded cameras with live video feed and AI-assisted search tools. Councilors asked about the originally estimated per-camera annual cost (about $3,000) and additional fees for video upgrades, poles, permitting and licensing. Staff said the vendor agreed to cover some installation and pole costs when the city leased 10 or more cameras and committed to verify final pricing before signing.
Officials also discussed maintenance and reporting: staff said the lease includes maintenance and automatic upgrades and that the system can generate utilization reports after a year to help decide whether to relocate cameras or alter coverage.
Dr. Crawford, speaking in support of the police chief's recommendation, told the council the networkwas the deciding factor: "it is in the best interest of the city to purchase this system from Flock Group because the network is such an important part of the value of the service," he said.
The council recorded the motion and second and voted on the lease in open session; the motion carried on a roll-call vote with all present members voting to approve.
Next steps: staff said they will confirm final contractual numbers and proceed with permitting and installation under the lease terms.
