Friday, April 26, 2024
Five cameras that photograph license plates even in challenging lighting conditions will soon be placed by the Texas Department of Transportation at three locations within the city of Granbury as part of a 60-day “demo.”
Two cameras will be installed at East U.S. Highway 377 and Fall Creek Highway, one at East U.S. Highway 377 and Old Acton Highway, and two at East U.S. Highway 377 at Overstreet Boulevard near The Home Depot.
The test period will give the Granbury Police Department first-hand experience with License Plate Reader, or LPR, cameras before the city possibly invests in that infrared imaging technology to aid in investigations and in “alert” situations, such as those involving abducted children or missing persons.
The cameras capture license plate numbers in low light, nighttime conditions and in sunlight so bright that license plates might be unreadable by other types of cameras.
A resolution authorizing the Granbury Police Department to enter into an agreement with TxDOT for the placement of the cameras on poles was on the consent agenda for the City Council’s regular meeting on June 21.
Consent agenda items typically are passed with one motion, but a council member can request that an item be pulled off the consent agenda for discussion. Mayor Pro Tem Trish Reiner did so with the agenda item pertaining to the cameras.
Reiner said that the council heard about the cameras during the city’s recent budget workshop.
“I thought it was fascinating, and I did have a couple of questions,” she stated.
Police Chief Mitch Galvan approached the podium and answered questions from Reiner and other council members. He said that trying out the cameras has been “a long time coming.”
He explained that the cameras will scan the license plates of vehicles passing through intersections and run them through a database that will alert the police department if a vehicle has been reported stolen or is the subject of a search.
“We’ll get a hit notification that the vehicle just passed through this intersection going whatever direction, and it will be up to us to try and go find that vehicle,” Galvan stated.
The images do not include windshields and passengers, he said.
According to a letter Galvan sent to TxDOT that was included as a support document to the agenda item, “access to the database will be controlled and limited to criminal investigations” and the constitutional rights of citizens will be safeguarded.
The letter states, “The Granbury PD LPR program will be operated under the expertise and guidance of our identified vendor, Flock Group Inc., in coordination with the Texas Department of Public Safety.”
Data or images collected from the Falcon Flex cameras from the Flock Group line will be retained for only 30 days, Galvan wrote.
During the council discussion, Galvan said that the demonstration period will not involve any financial commitment from the city.
He stated that other nearby communities that are using the cameras include Fort Worth, Benbrook, Weatherford and possibly Burleson.
Once the 60 days are up, TxDOT will retrieve the cameras, Galvan said.
Galvan’s letter to TxDOT stated, “If the test and evaluation is favorable, the city plans to add up to 30 additional cameras to the city limits.”
The police chief told the Hood County News last week that a smaller number of cameras, perhaps 22, might be purchased if the council agrees and if there is money in the budget to purchase them.
The proposed 2022-2023 fiscal year budget shows a figure of $65,000 for the cameras. The City Council will not vote to adopt the budget until September.
The council voted unanimously to approve the 60-day test-run.
