Buda police chief provides council update on license plate readers with expansion plans

Buda Police Department Chief Bo Kidd provided the City Council with an update Jan. 3 regarding the FlockSafety pilot program of automatic license plate readers. The City Council approved a policy for the cameras in August, as previously reported by Community Impact.

The policy outlined that officers still need probable cause or reasonable suspicion to stop a vehicle, and the readers cannot be used as a basis for the traffic stop.

Kidd said in the past few months, the reader has been used to recover stolen vehicles and apprehend wanted individuals.

There is only one camera or reader near the Garlic Creek neighborhood, though Kidd said it will be taken down and relocated soon.

The user agreements for new cameras have been completed, he added, and five more cameras will be installed throughout Buda as permitting is obtained; two have been given the green light from private property owners, while the other three will need permitting from Texas Department of Transportation for installation.

“I would expect, once we get these cameras up, we’re going to see a large volume of traffic. That will be the true indicator of what these cameras can do,” Kidd said. “I look forward to getting most if not all of these installed in January.”

As the city anticipates more cameras, there will be more detailed reports from the police department to track all data.