The $181,250 purchase agreement with Flock Safety, a security hardware and software manufacturer, would provide an additional 40 cameras through the assistance of a Texas Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority grant.
The history
The city has used license plate readers for crime prevention for 15 years, Police Chief Allen Banks said, and the department has contracted with Flock since 2022.
"This isn't anything new to Round Rock," Banks said.
However, recent local legislation in Austin has brought up concerns about the uses of the surveillance technology. The city recently decided to halt the use of ALPRs in response to negative public reactions.
"I don't want to specifically call them out, but when you don't have technology in the region that will help us track those criminals, I think it's disappointing for the citizens," Banks said.
Despite criticisms of the technology, Banks says the license plate readers have helped in "high-profile cases" such as a shooting at Round Rock's Juneteenth celebration in 2024.
"[On] Juneteenth, using the license plate readers was very significant [in] helping us getting folks into custody," Banks said.
The details
Of the 40 additional cameras, 30 will be mobile, and 10 will be in fixed locations throughout the city. The Round Rock Police Department will place the fixed cameras in "high-crime areas," Banks said.
"We're not putting them in areas that we feel that it's certain demographics, or certain ethnicities," Banks said.
Flock's license plate reading software is able to identify vehicle information, including license plate numbers, car details and identifiable characteristics like bumper stickers. RRPD will only be able to read from the rear license plate, and will retain the data for 30 days before it purges.
"These aren't for tracking folks," Banks said. "It doesn't tell me if you're an illegal person here in the United States. It doesn't tell me your religion—it doesn't tell me your sex orientation. That's not what it's set up for."
In order to find information on the owner of a vehicle, police personnel would need to use an additional outside resource like the Department of Motor Vehicles.
What else?
Banks also addressed the proper uses of the technology within the police force. The officers and intel analysts who have trained and qualify to use the Flock technology can only use it for investigative purposes, he said.
"As the chief, I can assure you that the purpose that we're using it is for the right reasons," Banks said. "It's not tracking folks—we cannot do that. It's not associated with [the Department of] Motor Vehicles; it's not associated with ICE. We use it for investigative purposes on criminal nexus cases only."
