Village staff and police led a March 13 discussion on adding Flock live‑video cameras to complement existing automatic license‑plate reader (ALPR) devices.

Gavin (staff) told trustees the village and the police had met with Flock Safety and developed two implementation options: a parks‑focused plan and a broader plan that would add intersection coverage. “One option is focused just on parks, and then a broader plan that includes intersections,” Gavin said during the discussion. He said the technology includes pan/tilt/zoom live video and AI detection that can alert officers to out‑of‑the‑ordinary activity without continuous human monitoring.

Costs discussed at the meeting included an estimated year‑one total of about $33,000 for an eight‑camera plan, with an estimated ongoing annual fee of roughly $27,000 thereafter; year‑one pricing includes the cameras and hardware (poles, solar equipment) while later years would cover software‑as‑a‑service and cloud licensing. Staff said the eight‑camera plan’s first‑year charges are higher because cameras and certain hardware are included; a smaller plan (four cameras) would have about half the ongoing annual cost.

Chief Walsh and Commander Gardner participated in the discussion; staff noted the village already operates several ALPR cameras and that ongoing ALPR license fees are material (staff gave a rough figure of about $30,000 for current ALPR annual fees). Trustees asked about service, camera lifespan and placement. Staff suggested sites including Blackhawk Park (with a PTZ camera plus a fixed camera to improve coverage), an intersection near the 7‑Eleven and Sacajawea Park (where police reported repeated after‑dark activity). The chief and staff emphasized the system is intended to augment patrols, not replace officers.

Trustees also discussed privacy and community outreach. Staff noted the village has a program for residents to register private doorbell/camera systems (e.g., Ring) with the police to allow the department to request footage during incidents; they said registration is on the village website but participation to date has been limited.

No final decision was recorded; staff asked trustees and the public for placements and budget preferences and said the board would likely need to decide next month to include any new recurring costs in the final budget.