Eudora Police Department seeks license plate reader, chief says Flock eliminated

EUDORA, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.

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Eudora Police Chief Wes Lovett said the police department is searching for an automated license plate reader (ALPR) after it eliminated Flock-branded cameras from consideration.

Lovett said he is focused on requesting an ALPR system that has short-term data storage and limits who can access the data. He said cost is also being taken into consideration.

“We’re still researching those as we speak," he said Friday. "I can tell you the Flocks, in our research, have been eliminated at this point.”

Earlier this year, Flock announced mandatory changes to its system, requiring internal audit systems among police departments and reducing the amount of time data can be stored from 30 days to seven.

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Lovett said the Eudora Police Department can learn from mistakes other departments across the country have made when it comes to ALPRs.

“I think people have the perception that they’re being surveyed or being followed, and that’s not the case," Lovett said. "All we’re trying to do is solve real-time crime.”

The request for purchase was included in the city's 2026 capital improvement plan, and if individually approved, would be funded by the city's general fund, which is supported by property taxes.

“There’s been a few crimes in the last year or so I think we could’ve solved had we had one," Lovett said.

Lovett said the ALPR could be helpful in locating stolen vehicles or if an Amber Alert happens to pass through Eudora.

The request has not yet gone before the Eudora City Commission for approval, but City Manager Zack Daniel said it is a conversation among city officials.

Lovett said if approved, the ALPR would likely be located at the only stoplight in town.

Lauren Leslie/KSHB 41

“That’s the most frequently used, probably, entrance and exit to our community," Lovett said of the East 15th Street and Church Street intersection.

The police department is estimating the cost of an ALPR would be around $18,000, according to Daniel.

The city is asking residents to consider shifting public safety improvement expenses from the general fund to a new 0.5% sales tax, which is estimated to generate about $350,000 annually.

The shift would make room in the general fund's budget to hire three full-time firefighters. The cost of those positions, including full-time wages, health insurance and retirement, would total about $327,000 annually, according to Daniel.

The public safety sales tax measure is on Eudora's November ballot.

“Our weapons, tasers, a lot of our equipment is getting up in age right now," Lovett said. "It’s very important we’re able to update those things, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without this public safety sales tax.”

If passed, the city would fund its fire department around the clock for the first time in the department's 100-year history.

Lauren Leslie/KSHB 41

“We see this sales tax strategy as a way to grow the public safety operations on the same pace of growth the rest of the community is experiencing," Daniel said.

Because a different 0.5% sales tax — used to pay off debt associated with Eudora's Community Center — will expire on Dec. 31, the city's sales tax rate would not increase if voters approve the public safety sales tax.

If passed, the proposed public safety sales tax would begin April 1, 2027, and has no expiration date.

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