PCSO won't talk about pricey installed license plate cameras
The Polk County Sheriff's office would not share any details about the cameras.
LAKELAND, Fla. — Over the last year, dozens of new surveillance cameras have been installed throughout Polk County.
The sheriff's office is paying for them, but not talking about them.
They're called Flock Safety Cameras. According to its website, the "license plate reading cameras provide 24/7 monitoring for every home, business, and neighborhood."
The cameras capture images of license plates and are then run through a national database, alerting law enforcement partners in real time.
The cameras are solar-powered, with the cameras capturing:
- Vehicle make, type and color
- License plate (missing plate, covered plate, state of the license plate)
- Unique features (roof rack, bumper stickers and window stickers)
The Polk County Sheriff's Office isn’t saying anything about their use of these surveillance cameras. 10 Tampa Bay reached out requesting an interview, but the agency said no one would be available Wednesday or any day to discuss the cameras.
When asked why, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office responded with a statement that read in part, "Any information revealing surveillance techniques or procedures or personnel is exempt from" public record.
10 Tampa Bay requested the Flock Safety contracts from the sheriff's office. A heavily redacted document containing the sheriff's office's contracts with a company offering "software and hardware solutions for automatic license plate detection" was provided.
In the redacted contract, Florida Statute 119 is referenced, stating all contract information is subject to Florida Public Records Law. Despite that, every mention of the company is blacked out.
The contract details the cost of each camera per year: $2,000 per year or current market price, if lower. In the contracts provided, the sheriff's office redacted the type of hardware provided and the quantity. The prices are still listed, revealing the likely number of cameras purchased. That information can be seen below.
- In September 2022, $82,000 was paid. This covers the costs of 41 Flock Safety Cameras. An additional $14,350 was paid toward implementation fees. $82,000 will be paid on an annual recurring basis in this contract.
- In December 2022, $10,000 was paid, covering the costs for an additional five cameras. $1,750 was paid for an implementation fee. $10,000 will be paid on an annual recurring basis in this 42-month contract.
- In January of 2023, $4,000 was paid. This covers the costs of two Flock Safety Cameras. $700 was paid for an implementation fee. $4,000 will be paid on an annual recurring basis in this 43-month contract.
- In June of 2023, $50,000 was paid for annual recurring fees. This covers the costs of 25 Flock Safety Cameras. $58,750 was paid as the year-one fee. A $75,000 discount was applied to this contract. The contract total was $158,750.
In total, this contract indicates 73 cameras were purchased in Polk County by the sheriff's office since September of last year. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent on the cameras, installation, and recurring fees.
Flock Safety claims to reduce crime by 70 percent, working with more than 2,000 law enforcement agencies across the country.
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at and follow her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
