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License-plate readers · Pulaski County

Pulaski County

Using license-plate readers · 6 agencies documented

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Little Rock Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety, SkyCop (DCI Technologies)
Cameras
Count not documented
No current count from a source we could open. A Feb. 2023 city memo covers 75 additional Falcon cameras. The October 2025 city documents give no count and refer only to a group of cameras.
Contract
SkyCop (DCI Technologies): $27,496 total · from 2018 · DCI Technologies, Inc. (d/b/a SkyCop), low bidder on Bid No. 17155-C, not to exceed $27,496 plus taxes, for plate-reader software tying in existing cameras. Paid from 2015 and 2016 Byrne JAG grants. Board agenda Sept. 4, 2018. (City of Little Rock, Sept. 4, 2018)
Contract
Flock Safety: $215,794 total · from 2023 · Bought through Insight Public Sector Sled Center: 75 additional Falcon cameras and a service agreement, plus taxes and fees, using what the memo calls American Rescue Act funds, set aside for the Real Time Crime Center. Board agenda Feb. 7, 2023. (City of Little Rock, Feb. 7, 2023)
Contract
Flock Safety: $284,500 year · from Sept. 2024 · to Sept. 2025 · One-year subscription renewal through Insight, with an option to renew for up to three additional years; $26,718 from ARPA and $257,782 from Account 105225-63360. Board agenda Nov. 4, 2024. A later resolution identifies Resolution No. 16,489 of Nov. 4, 2024 as the approval. (City of Little Rock, Nov. 4, 2024; City of Little Rock, Oct. 21, 2025)
Contract
Flock Safety: $77,500 year · One-year renewal for another group of cameras through Insight; raises the Resolution No. 16,489 total from $284,500 to $362,000. Board agenda Feb. 18, 2025. (City of Little Rock, Feb. 18, 2025)
Contract
Flock Safety: $690,000 term · from 2025 · Up to $690,000 plus taxes and fees over two years, $345,000 a year, through Insight Public Sector under Omnia Partners Contract No. 23-6692-03. The resolution's dollar figures contain typos ($690,000.000, $690,00.00), and the memo's fiscal section reads $345,00.00. Memo and resolution name different accounts (105201-61350 and 105225-63360). (City of Little Rock, Oct. 21, 2025; City of Little Rock, Oct. 21, 2025)
  1. March 2013 The Associated Press reported that Little Rock police bought one patrol-car plate reader the previous year for about $14,000. The purchase did not require city council approval, there was no public notice, and the department had no data retention policy at the time. (Associated Press, via Police1, March 4, 2013)
  2. Sept. 4, 2018 Board agenda item to buy plate-reader software from SkyCop. The memo says a property owners association had expressed interest in buying a camera and donating it to the city. (City of Little Rock, Sept. 4, 2018)
  3. Feb. 7, 2023 Board agenda item to buy 75 additional Flock Falcon cameras. The memo says the department had used Flock cameras and software for several months and that they exceeded expectations. (City of Little Rock, Feb. 7, 2023)
  4. Nov. 4, 2024 Subscription renewal of $284,500 on the board agenda; a 2025 resolution cites Resolution No. 16,489 of this date as approving it. (City of Little Rock, Nov. 4, 2024; City of Little Rock, Oct. 21, 2025)
  5. Oct. 21, 2025 Board agenda carried a two-year Flock renewal of up to $690,000. The memo says no new services were being added and calls the readers tools for apprehending criminals, preventing crime and locating missing persons. The resolution text carries this adoption date, but its number and signature lines are blank and no tally appears. (City of Little Rock, Oct. 21, 2025; City of Little Rock, Oct. 21, 2025)
  6. Dec. 2, 2025 The board voted down an ordinance from Director Antwan Phillips setting reporting rules for police surveillance technology. KATV gave no tally. The chief said the department already followed such practices. Neither the memo nor the KATV story names plate readers or Flock; KATV ties the proposal to concerns about ShotSpotter. (KATV, Dec. 3, 2025; City of Little Rock, Dec. 2, 2025)
  7. July 3, 2026 Date of a department quarterly plate-reader audit, which KATV reported found one officer ran 28 searches of the same plate, with the searches falling between May 16 and May 26. The department called this misuse and declined to release internal records, citing a state FOIA exemption. (KATV, Oct. 6, 2026)
  8. Aug. 2026 The Arkansas Advocate reported Little Rock's Flock cameras read plates of 687,332 unique vehicles in the last 30 days. The article text we read shows no publication date; a photo caption in it is dated Aug. 19, 2026. (Arkansas Advocate, 2026)
  9. Oct. 13, 2026 KATV reported, citing Mayor Frank Scott Jr., that three officers were relieved of duty over improper use of the plate-reader system, that an investigation was continuing, and that audits would move from quarterly to monthly. KATV later reported they were relieved with pay. No officer is named in the coverage. (KATV, Oct. 13, 2026; KATV, Nov. 2, 2026)
  10. Nov. 2, 2026 A proposed Police Surveillance Technology Reporting Ordinance from Director Phillips came before the board, covering Flock readers and facial recognition. It called for an annual report, monthly audits, general deletion of reader data after 150 days and public discussion of purchases of $50,000 or more. KATV reported the board did not reach agreement and will return to it later. (KATV, Nov. 2, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Sources disagree on when Flock began: the 2025 resolution and memo say the department has used Flock since 2020; the Feb. 2023 memo says it had used Flock cameras for several months.
  • We found no minutes confirming the Oct. 21, 2025 adoption or any tally. The contract's current status rests on the resolution text and later 2026 reporting of use.
  • SkyCop appears only in the 2018 record. Nothing opened shows whether SkyCop software or cameras remain in use.
  • Retention and sharing under the current policy were not found. The Flock transparency page could not be opened.

From agency records.

Sherwood Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
15
KATV reported 15 Flock cameras on July 2, 2026. KATV reported on March 18, 2026 that the department's transparency portal listed 14 plate readers and 2 other unspecified cameras. The two counts differ.
Contract
Flock Safety: · from Oct. 2022 · The department's statement says the contract was signed in October 2022, ran on a trial basis with no payments until the last camera was installed March 9, 2026, and that payments begin now. Amount not stated. (City of Sherwood, March 11, 2026)
  1. Jan. 2023 First camera went live, according to the department's statement. (City of Sherwood, March 11, 2026)
  2. Feb. 2026 KATV reported, citing the incident report, that a Flock camera flagged a vehicle as stolen after misreading its plate by one letter; an officer stopped it in a parking lot, drew his weapon and detained the driver and a passenger who was beside an infant, and they were released once the error was found. (KATV, March 18, 2026)
  3. March 2026 After the February stop the department created a transparency portal. KATV reported on March 18 that it states 30-day retention, a required reason for all access, and no use for immigration or traffic enforcement or for harassment. (KATV, March 18, 2026)
  4. March 9, 2026 Last camera installed, per the department's statement. (City of Sherwood, March 11, 2026)
  5. March 11, 2026 The city posted a police statement saying the cameras are not used for traffic enforcement and that officers cannot stop a vehicle on Flock data alone. It said the officer in the recent incident was newly out of training and got more training, and that a formal written policy was being finalized. (City of Sherwood, March 11, 2026)
  6. July 2, 2026 KATV reported Capt. Scott Hicks defended the cameras, said they read about 29 million plates so far in 2026, and said the February false hit was the only known one and traced to a plate frame hiding a letter. (KATV, July 2, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Data sharing, per Capt. Hicks through KATV: feeds and information are shared with every law enforcement agency in Arkansas.
  • Sources disagree on the start date: the department's statement says contract October 2022 and first camera January 2023; KATV says the relationship with Flock began in 2020; the Arkansas Advocate says use began in 2021.
  • Sources give different results. City statement: 23 arrests over about 3.5 years. KATV via Capt. Hicks: since 2022, 5 missing people found, 7 stolen vehicles recovered and 25 wanted people identified. Arkansas Advocate: several stolen vehicles and seven missing people.
  • The Flock transparency page itself could not be opened; portal contents are as KATV reported them.

From agency records.

North Little Rock Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No department count available. KATV reports 183 Flock readers in total across Alexander, Cammack Village, Jacksonville, North Little Rock, Little Rock and Sherwood police, from FOIA records.
  1. Oct. 29, 2026 KATV published a map of Flock reader locations built from FOIA records, and named this department among the six whose records it used. (KATV, Oct. 29, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • KATV gives one total, 183, across six departments, and no count by department. The KATV map is embedded and its data could not be read, so no count is stated here.
  • KATV's wording is that the readers are used by police departments in six Pulaski County cities; contract, vendor agreement and approval records were not found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Jacksonville Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No department count available. KATV reports 183 Flock readers in total across Alexander, Cammack Village, Jacksonville, North Little Rock, Little Rock and Sherwood police, from FOIA records.
  1. Oct. 29, 2026 KATV published a map of Flock reader locations built from FOIA records, and named this department among the six whose records it used. (KATV, Oct. 29, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • KATV gives one total, 183, across six departments, and no count by department. The KATV map is embedded and its data could not be read, so no count is stated here.
  • KATV's wording is that the readers are used by police departments in six Pulaski County cities; contract, vendor agreement and approval records were not found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Alexander Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No department count available. KATV reports 183 Flock readers in total across Alexander, Cammack Village, Jacksonville, North Little Rock, Little Rock and Sherwood police, from FOIA records.
  1. Oct. 29, 2026 KATV published a map of Flock reader locations built from FOIA records, and named this department among the six whose records it used. (KATV, Oct. 29, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • KATV gives one total, 183, across six departments, and no count by department. The KATV map is embedded and its data could not be read, so no count is stated here.
  • KATV's wording is that the readers are used by police departments in six Pulaski County cities; contract, vendor agreement and approval records were not found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Cammack Village Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No department count available. KATV reports 183 Flock readers in total across Alexander, Cammack Village, Jacksonville, North Little Rock, Little Rock and Sherwood police, from FOIA records.
  1. Oct. 29, 2026 KATV published a map of Flock reader locations built from FOIA records, and named this department among the six whose records it used. (KATV, Oct. 29, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • KATV gives one total, 183, across six departments, and no count by department. The KATV map is embedded and its data could not be read, so no count is stated here.
  • KATV's wording is that the readers are used by police departments in six Pulaski County cities; contract, vendor agreement and approval records were not found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Statewide

  1. March 2013 Two state representatives, Democrat Nate Steel of Nashville and Republican Nate Bell of Mena, filed a bill to limit who may use license plate readers and how long captured data may be kept. The Associated Press reported the filing followed its report that Little Rock police had a reader and no policy on how long data was held. The source gives the weekday (a Monday) and a March 11, 2013 publication date. (KUAR (Associated Press), March 11, 2013)
  2. April 2013 The Arkansas House Judiciary Committee approved the license plate reader bill, per the Associated Press. No tally was given. The source gives the weekday (a Friday) and an April 5, 2013 publication date. (KUAR (Associated Press), April 5, 2013)
  3. July 2013 KARK reported that the ACLU in Arkansas was calling for legislation setting strict rules for police use of license plate readers, and that Little Rock and North Little Rock police each had one cruiser with the technology. (KARK, July 18, 2013)
  4. Aug. 16, 2013 The Automatic License Plate Reader System Act, Ark. Code § 12-12-1801 et seq., took effect, added by Act 1491 of 2013 according to the history note on a code reprint. The Eighth Circuit also describes the law as effective August 2013. (CounselStack (code reprint), date not shown; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, via CourtListener, Oct. 13, 2015)
  5. Aug. 16, 2013 In the code text before the 2025 amendments (2019 and March 2024 versions), § 12-12-1803(a) makes it unlawful for individuals, companies, associations, the state, its agencies and its political subdivisions to use a reader system unless an exception in subsection (b) applies. The exceptions are state, county or municipal law enforcement comparing plates against listed databases (Office of Motor Vehicle, Arkansas Crime Information Center, National Crime Information Center, a database built for an ongoing investigation, FBI); parking enforcement; controlling access to secured areas; and the Arkansas Highway Police checking commercial vehicle compliance, with those readers placed at weigh station entrance ramps. (Justia, 2019; FindLaw, March 28, 2024)
  6. Aug. 16, 2013 § 12-12-1804 caps retention at 150 days, allows law enforcement to keep data during an ongoing investigation until the investigation ends without charges or the criminal case concludes, requires government users to update captured data every 24 hours when updates exist, and bars government users from selling, trading or exchanging data, except that law enforcement data showing evidence of an offense may go to other law enforcement agencies. This is the pre-2025 text. (Justia, 2020; FindLaw, March 28, 2024)
  7. Aug. 16, 2013 § 12-12-1805 requires users to compile statistics every six months in a form the public can review and keep them 18 months: plates scanned, the lists checked, confirmed matches, matches that did not correlate to an alert, and matches leading to arrest and prosecution. Users must adopt and make public their rules on obtaining, retaining and destroying plate data; failing to do so is grounds for a court to exclude evidence obtained under the subchapter. This is the 2018 code text. (Justia, 2018)
  8. Oct. 13, 2015 The Eighth Circuit affirmed dismissal of a First Amendment suit against the Arkansas governor and attorney general brought in May 2014 by Digital Recognition Network and Vigilant Solutions over the Act. The appeals court ruled the companies lacked standing and did not rule on whether the Act violates the First Amendment. The case came from the Eastern District of Arkansas (Chief Judge Brian S. Miller), which had dismissed on Eleventh Amendment immunity. The opinion is Digital Recognition Network, Inc. v. Hutchinson, 803 F.3d 952. (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, via CourtListener, Oct. 13, 2015)
  9. Sept. 2023 The Arkansas Legislative Council authorized $500,000 in federal American Rescue Plan funds for the Arkansas State Police to buy license plate readers and voted to require quarterly reports on arrests made with them. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported no tally. The source gives only the weekday (a Friday); the month comes from the article's URL. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Sept. 16, 2023; Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Sept. 15, 2023)
  10. Sept. 2023 Lt. Dennis Overton told lawmakers the readers would go first at major entrances to the state, including Interstates 30, 40, 49 and 55 and Arkansas 419, plus some Central Arkansas locations, and that data would be kept no longer than 150 days unless part of an ongoing investigation. Col. Mike Hagar said they "will not be used to write speeding tickets," and acknowledged State Police did not yet deploy readers and had no policy. Rep. Jimmy Gazaway raised Fourth Amendment concerns and asked for safeguards. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Sept. 16, 2023; Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Sept. 15, 2023)
  11. Dec. 5, 2023 An Arkansas Attorney General opinion concluded that using automatic license plate reader systems to find and repossess vehicles is not allowed, because companies could use the systems only for parking regulation and access control, per a client article by Clayton C. Swears of the law firm Hudson Cook. This describes the law before Act 668 of 2025. The opinion itself could not be opened. (Hudson Cook, LLP, Feb. 29, 2024)
  12. July 2024 State Police posted proposed license plate reader rules, dated July 15, 2024 in the file name, stating they take effect on or after July 1, 2024. Its publications page lists them under proposed rules. (Arkansas Department of Public Safety, July 15, 2024; Arkansas State Police, date not shown)
  13. Nov. 7, 2024 State Police license plate reader rules are codified at 130.01.24 Ark. Code R. 002, with the Cornell page's notes listing an effective date of Nov. 7, 2024. The rules say State Police owns its reader systems, equipment, databases and data; limit use to legitimate law enforcement purposes; make the Interstate Criminal Patrol Commanders the administrator; require usage reports to the Arkansas Legislative Council each quarter; cap server storage at 150 days; require a log entry when data goes to another law enforcement agency; and require officers to confirm a plate visually and check its status before a stop on an alert. We found no record of a purchase, vendor, contract or camera count. (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, Nov. 7, 2024; Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, Sept. 2025)
  14. April 16, 2025 Senate Bill 446, sponsored by Sen. Gilmore with Rep. Gazaway as co-sponsor, was approved as Act 668 of 2025. Its title says it provides for reader use by private landowners, private leaseholders and commercial businesses. It lets those users run readers to promote public safety, deter crime and monitor access to their property, including private roads. No chamber tallies were found. (Legiplex (bill text), April 21, 2025; Legiplex (bill text), March 12, 2025)
  15. April 16, 2025 Under Act 668, private landowners, leaseholders and commercial businesses may keep plate data no more than 60 days, while other eligible users keep the 150-day limit. Those private users may not sell, trade or exchange data for commercial purposes, but may give it to a contracted third-party processor for asset protection analytics if the contract bars other uses and caps retention at 60 days. They must compile statistics every six months and provide them to the Legislative Council's chairs on request, and some of their data can be obtained only by valid subpoena. (Legiplex (bill text), April 21, 2025; National Conference of State Legislatures, date not shown; Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, Sept. 2025)
  16. April 16, 2025 Act 668 added language letting the Attorney General bring an action to enforce violations of the subchapter under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Separately, § 12-12-1807 lets an injured person sue for actual damages or $1,000 in liquidated damages, whichever is greater, plus litigation costs, per a LAPPA summary of state laws. (Legiplex (bill text), March 12, 2025; Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, Sept. 2025)
  17. 2026 The Arkansas Advocate reported that at least six cities (Centerton, Greers Ferry, Searcy, Mayflower, Farmington, Pea Ridge) had let Flock contracts expire or ended them early since the end of July, and that Cabot had unplugged its cameras during a review. No statewide count of agencies using Flock was found in any source opened. The page shows no publication date; its photo captions are dated Aug. 19, 2026. (Arkansas Advocate, 2026)
  18. 2026 The Arkansas Advocate described possible legislation when lawmakers convene in January, and its subheadline says the cameras could be revisited during the 2027 session. It named no filed bill. Sen. Mark Johnson, a Republican who represents Conway and Mayflower, said he was not saying he wanted to do away with the cameras but would like more answers. House Minority Leader Andrew Collins, D-Little Rock, called it "a local conversation" and said local governments should keep deciding. (Arkansas Advocate, 2026)
  19. 2026 ACLU of Arkansas spokesperson Megan Bailey told the Arkansas Advocate the group was encouraged by local officials ending camera use, saying the "safest data is data that is never collected." (Arkansas Advocate, 2026)
  20. 2026 The Arkansas Department of Public Safety's grant page says Public Safety Equipment Grants "will not be funded for Fiscal Year 2026." Separately, Wynne's police chief told KAIT in May 2025 that the department was awarded a $65,000 grant from the department. KAIT does not name the grant program or say what the grant paid for. (Arkansas Department of Public Safety, date not shown; KAIT, May 20, 2025)
  21. July 2, 2026 KATV reported 429 Flock cameras in Central Arkansas and 1,051 statewide, attributing the totals to a Sherwood Police Department social media post made on a Monday. KATV gives no other source for them. (KATV, July 2, 2026)
  22. Aug. 2026 KATV reported that the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police, with roughly 300 members, publicly backed Flock cameras and plate readers. Executive Director Gary Sipes said it was the first time the group had come out publicly in support of anything like this. In a passage on reports of officers misusing readers, he said, "Right now, there has not been any officers in Arkansas that have been charged." KATV's Aug. 27 report says the statement was released on a Thursday. KATV's two reports differ slightly on the group's name (Association of Police Chiefs and Association of Chiefs of Police). (KATV, Aug. 28, 2026; KATV, Aug. 27, 2026)
  23. Aug. 13, 2026 KATV counted six Arkansas cities suspending Flock cameras as of this report: Pea Ridge, Cabot, Mayflower, Centerton, Greers Ferry and Searcy. Axios Northwest Arkansas listed the same six on Aug. 17, 2026. These lists differ from the Arkansas Advocate's, which counts Farmington among six and treats Cabot separately. (KATV, Aug. 13, 2026; Axios, Aug. 17, 2026; Arkansas Advocate, 2026)
  24. Aug. 17, 2026 Axios reported Flock said misuse detection would become mandatory for all customers and default retention would drop from 30 days to one week in some places. (Axios, Aug. 17, 2026)
  25. Sept. 2, 2026 KATV listed Centerton, Pea Ridge, Cabot, Searcy, Farmington and Greers Ferry as having suspended use, Mayflower as having suspended and then removed its cameras, Beebe as letting its contract expire in October unless the council objects, and Van Buren as keeping cameras with retention cut to 7 days, while Marshall had two cameras operational since mid-August. (KATV, Sept. 2, 2026)