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San Angelo TIRZ board approves $42,000 for police cameras, backs drone program expansion
Summary
The TIRZ board approved a one-time $42,000 allocation (split 50/50 north-south) to add roughly 11–14 pan-tilt-zoom cameras to the police real-time crime center; staff described drone successes and said drone leases (about $55,000 each annually) and cloud storage are part of the ongoing program.
The San Angelo Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone board voted to approve a one-time $42,000 allocation to fund additional pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras intended to expand the police department's real-time crime center and drone-first-responder capabilities in the TIRZ districts.
Chief Travis (presenting on behalf of the police department) described how the program pairs leased drones with locally managed PTZ cameras to provide officers and battalion chiefs immediate visual information during incidents. He said the pilot drone stationed near Knickerbocker has already helped locate suicidal subjects, track suspects, and provide thermal views for firefighters. "We can cut back those resources, keep police officers patrolling the neighborhoods, and keep fire trucks in their stations so that way they can respond to actual issues," Chief Travis said.
Staff described costs and technical details: the department secured a lease for a first drone and purchased approximately $17,000 worth of PTZ cameras; the board was asked for an additional $42,000 to install about 11–14 more PTZ cameras at key intersections, parks and event areas within the north and south TIRZ zones. Presenters said the annual lease for a single drone is roughly $55,000 and that storage will be cloud-based for now, with local storage being considered for PTZ footage.
Board members asked about privacy and data retention. Presenters said the cameras do not use facial-recognition software; localized object/vehicle-description tools are being evaluated, and the department emphasized limited, operational use tied to 911 calls. The department also said recorded footage is stored locally with the city and not with third-party vendors for PTZ camera data.
A motion to approve the one-time $42,000 request, with a recommended 50/50 north-south split for deployment, passed by voice vote. The board directed staff to return with deployment details and partner coordination; the lease and recurring drone costs would be budgeted separately if the program continues to scale.
Next steps: staff will proceed with procurement and coordinate camera placement in priority locations identified during the meeting.
