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ORWELL INDEX
Approved Updated

Collin County Sheriff | Motorola and Vigilant plate readers

In December 2023 the Commissioners Court let the Sheriff's Office accept a plate reader system donated by Motorola Solutions. In August 2024 it approved seven in-car camera systems whose quote carries Vigilant plate reader service lines.

At a glance

The donation
18 December 2023: the Court accepts "a license plate reader from Motorola Solutions" for the Sheriff's Office, on the consent agenda [1] [2]
What was donated
Fixed solar-powered readers, mobile two-camera readers and Vigilant's hosted plate reader service, valued by the Sheriff at $50,000, according to the Sheriff's memo [3]
In-car cameras with plate reader service
12 August 2024: seven WatchGuard M500 in-car systems for Sheriff's Office field operations, $52,711.40, with an "M500 BASIC LPR ANNUAL SERVICE FEE" line for quantity seven, approved on the consent agenda 4-0 [4] [5] [6] [7]
How long plate reads are kept
Not stated in the Court Order, the memos or the quote [2] [3] [5]
Who the reads are shared with
Not stated in any document attached to either item [3] [5]

How it happened

  1. Procurement

    A donated plate reader system

    On the consent agenda, the Court approves "the acceptance of a license plate reader from Motorola Solutions" for the Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's memo lists fixed and mobile readers and Vigilant's hosted plate reader service, at no cost to the county. [1] [2] [3]

  2. Expansion

    Plate reader service on seven in-car cameras

    On the consent agenda, the Court awards "SO Field Ops/Patrol/Traffic Watchguard (Coop Contract No. 2024-416) to Motorola Solutions, Inc., through DIR Cooperative Contract No. DIR-TSO-4101", 4-0. The quote carries seven in-car systems and a plate reader annual service fee for seven. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Vigilant is the plate reader line Motorola Solutions sells: cameras, and a hosted service where the reads are stored and searched. The Collin County Sheriff’s Office has added to its Vigilant equipment twice through the Commissioners Court, once as a gift and once inside an in-car camera purchase.

A donation from the vendor

On 18 December 2023 the consent agenda included “Accept the donation of an automated license plate reader from Motorola Solutions, Sheriff.”[1] The signed Court Order approves “the acceptance of a license plate reader from Motorola Solutions” under the county’s authority to accept gifts.[2]

The Sheriff’s memo attached to the item lists what Motorola was giving: two solar-powered fixed readers, two mobile two-camera reader systems, another fixed camera, and Vigilant’s hosted plate reader service and central server. It says the equipment is worth $50,000 and comes at no cost to the county.[3] A second memo attached to the item, from a captain to the Sheriff, says the office has run a plate reader program since 2017 and that Motorola approached the office with the offer.[8]

Plate reader lines on in-car cameras

On 12 August 2024 the Court awarded “SO Field Ops/Patrol/Traffic Watchguard (Coop Contract No. 2024-416) to Motorola Solutions, Inc., through DIR Cooperative Contract No. DIR-TSO-4101” on the consent agenda, 4-0.[4][6][7] DIR is the Texas Department of Information Resources, which runs a statewide purchasing program.

The Motorola quote attached to the item is billed to the Sheriff’s Office. It lists seven “M500 ICV SYSTEM W/RCAM” in-car video systems at $6,315.00 each, and under the heading Vigilant, an “M500 BASIC LPR ANNUAL SERVICE FEE” line with a quantity of seven, at no charge. The total is $52,711.40.[5]

What the record does not say

Neither item says where the readers are, how long their reads are kept, or which other agencies can search them. We could not find a plate reader use or audit policy presented to the Commissioners Court in its agendas from January 2019 to September 2026.

On the map

The community has mapped 705 devices of this type in the county on OpenStreetMap. These are community reports: the vendor and operator of each point are unverified, and none is confirmed to belong to this system. See them on the map →

Street names from reverse geocoding — © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

What we do not know

What you can do

Show up

Systems like this one are approved by boards, councils and committees that meet in public. We have confirmed where each of them meets in Collin County and how public comment works there.

How to show up in Collin County →

Protect yourself

Practical steps to shrink your personal data trail. Our guides publish at launch; until then, EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense is the best starting point.

Surveillance Self-Defense →

Sources

  1. 1.
    Collin County Commissioners Court, agenda, 18 December 2023, consent item AI-55228 · Meeting record · · accessed
  2. 2.
    Collin County Court Order 2023-1275-12-18, acceptance of a donation · Primary document · · accessed
  3. 3.
    Collin County Sheriff's Office, memo to the Commissioners Court, Acceptance of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Donation, 28 November 2023, attached to AI-55228 · Primary document · · accessed
  4. 4.
    Collin County Commissioners Court, agenda, 12 August 2024, consent item AI-56323 · Meeting record · · accessed
  5. 5.
    Motorola Solutions quote QUOTE-2686096, Collin County SO M500 (7), 18 June 2024, attached to AI-56323 · Primary document · · accessed
  6. 6.
    Collin County Court Order 2024-756-08-12 · Primary document · · accessed
  7. 7.
    Collin County Commissioners Court, minutes, 12 August 2024 · Meeting record · · accessed
  8. 8.
    Collin County Sheriff's Office, memo from a captain to the Sheriff, Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Donation, 28 November 2023, attached to AI-55228 · Primary document · · accessed

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