Port Richey accepts $32,850 state grant to buy license-plate readers for planned crime center

Port Richey 2D The Port Richey City Council voted Tuesday to accept a state grant to purchase stationary license-plate recognition (LPR) readers intended to feed a planned real-time crime center.

Police staff told council the grant totals $32,850 and will pay for nine LPR units. "The grant is for $32,850 for 9 license plate recognition readers," the police chief said during the presentation. Staff described the technology as a crime-fighting tool that matches observed plates against national databases to flag stolen cars or wanted individuals and provides lead information to dispatchers.

Council members asked how the system works and about data handling. The chief said the devices connect to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and that alerts typically appear within 10 to 20 seconds when a flagged plate is observed. He added that routine plate observations are not used against law-abiding drivers and that the system retains non-flagged scans for about 30 days.

Council approved acceptance of the grant by voice vote. Staff said no one in the city currently appears on an ICE detainer list and emphasized the department27s intent to target individuals flagged for serious offenses.

What happens next: Staff will proceed with procurement and integration planning for the LPR units and incorporate them into the city27s planned real-time crime center; council did not attach additional conditions in the recorded motion.