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License-plate readers · Sedgwick County

Sedgwick County

Using license-plate readers · 7 agencies documented

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Wichita Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
191
191 Flock cameras operated by the department, per KWCH, Aug. 17, 2026. Kansas Reflector, July 31, 2026, says both 'nearly 200' and 'more than 190.' KNSS put the existing network at 160 before the Oct. 2024 addition of 31.
Contract
Flock Safety: $275,000 total · from April 6, 2021 · 110 readers and related equipment; KFDI describes a one-year program. KWCH reported $2,500 per camera. (KNSS Radio, April 6, 2021; KFDI, April 8, 2021; KWCH, May 11, 2021)
Contract
Flock Safety: $151,500 total · from Oct. 15, 2024 · 10 readers over five years. KWCH says the group has 'annual payments of $30,000 each' plus a $1,500 one-time fee; the $151,500 total matches $30,000 a year for the group of ten, so 'each' appears to refer to yearly payments rather than to each reader. Flagged, not resolved. (KWCH, Oct. 15, 2024; KNSS Radio, Oct. 15, 2024)
Contract
Flock Safety: $186,150 year · from Oct. 15, 2024 · 21 readers plus expanded gunshot detection. KNSS says coverage doubles from 2 to 4 square miles; KWCH describes an expansion of four square miles. Year 1 figure, including a $20,000 discount per KWCH; KNSS gives $183 thousand for Year 2. Two-year agreement per KWCH. (KWCH, Oct. 15, 2024; KNSS Radio, Oct. 15, 2024)
  1. Nov. 2020 Department began using Flock technology, per KSN. (KSN-TV, Oct. 11, 2024)
  2. April 6, 2021 City council approved a $275,000 contract for 110 license plate readers; no vote tally reported. (KNSS Radio, April 6, 2021; KWCH, May 11, 2021)
  3. Oct. 15, 2024 City council voted 7-0 to buy 31 more Flock readers and expanded gunshot detection, about $337,000 in total. (KSN-TV, Oct. 15, 2024; KWCH, Oct. 15, 2024)
  4. April 14, 2026 A speaker raised Flock cameras during the public agenda at city council; minutes show no council action on the subject. (City of Wichita, April 14, 2026)
  5. July 2026 A Wichita resident represented by the Kansas Justice Institute sued the city in Sedgwick County District Court, alleging the Flock program violates the Kansas Constitution; his attorney says police should need a warrant to use the network. The city's policy is not to comment on pending litigation. No court has ruled. (Kansas Reflector, July 31, 2026; KWCH, July 30, 2026)
  6. Aug. 2026 Asked how residents can request their data, the department declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. (KWCH, Aug. 17, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Retention reported as 30 days unless tied to an investigation (KSN Oct. 2024; KWCH May 2021).
  • Kansas Reflector says the suit was filed on a Wednesday without a date; publication timing suggests July 29, 2026, so the event is recorded by month.
  • The Kansas Justice Institute, not the city, is the source of the figure of about 900,000 vehicle photos a month.
  • A privacy group representative told KWCH the department has not released its audit logs; KWCH did not confirm this with the department.

From agency records.

Derby Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety, Axon
Cameras
16
16 'LPR and other cameras' on the department's Flock portal, last updated Dec. 6, 2025. The Derby Informer reports nine bought in 2021 and seven more in 2024, also 16. Axon Fleet 3 in-car readers are separate.
Contract
Flock Safety: $2,500 camera (period not stated) · from 2024 · Seven added cameras at $2,500 each; total contract terms not reported. (The Derby Informer, July 27, 2026)
  1. Nov. 2021 KSN reported seven plate-reader cameras approved for purchase for the department; the approving body was not named. (KSN-TV, Nov. 5, 2021)
  2. 2024 Department added seven Flock cameras, following a request made in Nov. 2023. (The Derby Informer, July 27, 2026)
  3. Dec. 6, 2025 Portal showed 16 cameras, 170,514 vehicles in 30 days, 99 searches and 30-day retention. (Flock Safety / Derby Police Department, Dec. 6, 2025)
  4. July 2026 Police Chief Brandon Russell told the Derby Informer the department audits Flock searches monthly and keeps plate reads for 30 days; he reported 91 cases with a Flock lead or clearance in 2025. (The Derby Informer, July 27, 2026; City of Derby, date not shown)
  5. Aug. 2026 Derby police said 10 Flock cameras were damaged or cut down on a Tuesday night, with the city putting the damage at more than $26,000; police reported an arrest and said the case would go to the district attorney. (KWCH, Aug. 27, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Sources differ on the first purchase: KSN (2021) and KWCH (2023) say seven cameras; the Derby Informer says nine in 2021.
  • Portal figures as of Dec. 6, 2025: 170,514 vehicles in 30 days, 99 searches, 30-day retention, several hundred agencies with access (the page gives no total).
  • City page says Policy 537 requires a stated law enforcement purpose for each search and monthly audits; the page carries no date.
  • KWCH (Nov. 2023) reported Flock in use since 2022, which differs from the 2021 purchase date elsewhere.

From agency records.

Haysville Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
8
Eight Flock cameras approved in 2022, per the Derby Informer, July 27, 2026.
  1. 2022 Eight Flock cameras approved; one bid received, per the Derby Informer. (The Derby Informer, July 27, 2026)
  2. July 27, 2026 The Derby Informer reported the department recently launched a public transparency site for Flock, and that a council member who raised concerns about sharing data with agencies in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas planned to return to the council on Aug. 10 with proposals for audits and warrant requirements. (The Derby Informer, July 27, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • No Haysville record was opened; the outcome of the Aug. 10 discussion was not found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Park City Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
14
14 on the department's Flock portal, last updated Sept. 17, 2025.
  1. Sept. 17, 2025 Portal showed 14 cameras, 139,075 vehicles in 30 days, 100 searches, 30-day retention and several hundred external organizations with access (the page gives no total). (Flock Safety / Park City Police Department, Sept. 17, 2025)
  2. 2026 City of Newton's Flock page, undated but written in or after June 2026, lists Park City among nearby communities with Flock cameras. (City of Newton, date not shown)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Status rests partly on the City of Newton's Flock page, written after June 2026, which lists Park City among nearby communities with Flock cameras. The portal snapshot itself is older than 12 months.

From agency records.

Bel Aire Police Department

Status
Ended or removed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
2
Two Flock cameras on a 45-day trial, per an undated department presentation.
Contract
Flock Safety: $2,500 camera per year (proposed) · Terms stated in an undated department presentation for keeping the cameras after a 45-day trial; $350 per camera for removal if ended mid-contract. Not adopted: the council voted the system down in May 2023. (City of Bel Aire, date not shown)
  1. May 2023 City council voted down a proposed Flock system; a council member said her concerns 'outweigh the clear benefits.' (KWCH, Nov. 14, 2023)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Removal of the trial cameras is not confirmed in anything opened.
  • The presentation says homeowners' and neighborhood associations own and operate some Flock cameras, including one at Northbrook; it does not say how those relate to the two trial cameras.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Kechi Police Department

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No count found.
  1. 2023 KSN reported that a former Kechi police lieutenant was convicted in 2023 of stalking using Flock cameras. (KSN-TV, Sept. 30, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • No evidence found of current use.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Wichita State University Police Department

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
19
19 'LPR and other cameras' on the department's Flock portal, last updated July 29, 2025.
  1. July 29, 2025 Portal showed 19 cameras, 30-day retention and 85 external organizations with access. (Flock Safety / Wichita State University Police, July 29, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Portal date is older than 12 months.

From agency records.

Statewide

  1. March 25, 2021 SB 305 would have required written reader policies and exempted the data from the Open Records Act; the ACLU of Kansas testified against it. A 2024 legislative memo says it died in committee. (ACLU of Kansas, March 25, 2021; Kansas Legislative Research Department, Feb. 1, 2024)
  2. 2022 SB 434 proposed routing requests for reader records to the owning agency and adding them to records agencies need not disclose. (Kansas Legislative Research Department, 2022)
  3. Feb. 25, 2022 A Kansas Legislative Research memo said state law at that time had no provision aimed specifically at plate-reader data or policies. (Kansas Legislative Research Department, Feb. 25, 2022)
  4. Feb. 1, 2024 Legislative researchers reported K.S.A. 45-221(a)(55) lets public agencies withhold records containing captured plate data or concerning a reader's location. The 2021 text of 45-221 does not contain this language, so it was added after 2021. (Kansas Legislative Research Department, Feb. 1, 2024; Justia, 2021)
  5. July 2026 The Kansas Justice Institute sued Wichita in Sedgwick County District Court on behalf of a resident, alleging the city's Flock program violates the Kansas Constitution. These are allegations; no ruling has been reported. (Kansas Reflector, July 2026)
  6. Sept. 30, 2026 KCUR reported the Institute for Justice database lists five Kansas reader-abuse cases, and that Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a federal bill limiting sale and retention of reader data. (KCUR, Sept. 30, 2026)
  7. Oct. 1, 2026 The Johnson County Post reported that without comprehensive state or federal law, departments set their own reader rules. (Johnson County Post, Oct. 1, 2026)

State agencies

Kansas Highway Patrol

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
No count found.
  1. Feb. 25, 2022 A legislative research memo, relaying a patrol officer's 2021 testimony, said readings go to secure servers at the Houston HIDTA office, are held six months and then purged, and that logging in requires vetting and a valid law-enforcement purpose. (Kansas Legislative Research Department, Feb. 25, 2022)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Evidence older than 12 months.

From agency records.