McKinney to implement citywide license plate camera system

McKinney roadways will soon see Flock Safety cameras, an automated license plate recognition system, added to enhance the city's public safety efforts.

City Council members unanimously approved a resolution to allow for the execution of a multi-use agreement with the Texas Department of Public Transportation to install the cameras on TxDOT right-of-way within the city as part of the consent agenda at a Jan. 21 meeting.

The details

City officials executed an agreement with Flock Safety for the installation and operation of 13 cameras at identified key locations, the agenda item states. The cameras will serve as a resource for criminal investigations by the McKinney Police Department, city documents state.

The city executed a nearly $50,000 purchase order for the purchase and installation of 13 Flock Safety automated license plate recognition cameras in early December, city documents state.

The camera system will “increase public safety and aid the city’s police department in its crime prevention efforts and strategies,” the resolution states. The cameras capture and catalog the license plates and descriptions of vehicles driving on the road in a database that police officers can access, according to Flock Safety’s website.

What else?

A number of neighboring cities have also implemented the use of license plate recognition cameras from Flock Safety, including Celina, Frisco, Lewisville and Prosper.