KYLE, Texas — Last year, Kyle City Council approved getting 15 license plate readers, cameras that capture cars passing by.
Now, in a 6-1 vote on Tuesday, city council approved a contract with Flock Group for 20 automated license plate readers and 12 live view cameras for a cost of more than $124,000.
Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett calls it a “smarter use of technology.”
“I think this year alone we’ve had over 100 hits on stolen vehicles, and I think it’s about 75 hits on stolen license plates. Stolen cars and stolen license plates are often used to commit other crimes,” Barnett said. “We’ve also used it for missing children. Many months ago, we had an adult that took children and didn’t return them to their parent. And we use that data to locate that individual and get those kids safe back at home.”
But the move sparked mixed reactions from residents.
“Lived here 16 years and got nothing to hide, but at the same time, you know, it just feels a lot like a little bit of an invasion of privacy,” resident Mike Clark said.
“As long as there’s not an abuse of these cameras and they’re used for what they’re supposed to be used for, then they hopefully bring down the crime a little bit,” resident Yvonne Flores-Cale said.
Barnett wants to make it clear that they are looking for violent offenders and not minor traffic offenses.
“It is not checking your registration, your insurance, your driver’s license in the car,” Barnett said. “We’re using this technology to make our community safer – not small, petty items that people might worry about.”
It is technology that Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell has historically voted against but is starting to see the benefits of.
“What do I care about more – my civil liberties or the ability of the bad guy to catch someone who took my child or stole my car? And if there’s an opportunity for us within reason to present that to the public as a safety measure, I think it’s probably the right decision,” Mitchell said.
The police chief said they are still going through a process to determine the best locations for those license plate readers.