The Rollingwood Police Department has been authorized to apply for a grant program to bring five new license plate readers to the city, following a 4 to 1 vote by Rollingwood City Council.
The overview
Rollingwood Chief of Police Kristal Muñoz said at the May 21 meeting that the new cameras, provided by Flock Safety, would be placed at five different locations around the city, including:
- One eastbound camera at Las Lomas Drive
- One westbound camera at Vale Street
- Once northbound at Edgegrove Drive
- One eastbound at Hatley Drive and Park Hills Drive
- One southbound at Riley Road
The details
The cameras would be acquired through a grant funding program provided by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. In total, 80% of funding would be provided by the department, with the city paying the remaining 20%, Muñoz said.
The program would last for the duration of one year, with the city having the opportunity to permanently install the cameras afterwards.
“I think it will give us a good opportunity to see if this is something that works for the city,” Muñoz said.
What they’re saying
Although the license plate readers do not identify individuals within vehicles, one council member, Alec Robinson, opposed the cameras due to privacy concerns.
Some council members questioned whether five cameras would be enough to cover the entire city, but Muñoz said more could be added with the money freed up through grant coverage.
“We would only be paying 20% [of the cost of the cameras],” Muñoz said. “The original costs would have been $22,000—that would allow us to be able to add more cameras and stay under that $22,000 threshold because, like I said, we’d only be paying the first 20%.”
