Carrollton, MO Sunshine Request Data

Town of Carrollton: ALPR Surveillance Infrastructure Audit This page contains the compiled public records, procurement histories, mapping data, and operational files obtained via Sunshine Law requests from the Town of Carrollton, Missouri, regarding its Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) program, Flock.

Executive Overview: In mid-2025, the Town of Carrollton attempted to establish a localized vehicular surveillance footprint by executing a vendor agreement for ALPR cameras. The town immediately encountered significant friction regarding equipment implementation and functionality. Our audit reveals that while the initial vendor agreement was successfully extracted and the equipment was paid for, the technology was never operational for the local police department. The resulting operational failure led the town's administration to formally cancel the contract via legal counsel. Carrollton failed to redact live financial data for Flock Group Inc's checking account and routing/SWIFT codes.

Procurement & Financial Breakdown

The Sunshine Law Battle: Audit Timeline

The Contract Terms: On June 30, 2025, Mayor Keith Higgins executed a standard Flock Group Inc. services agreement for a 24-month initial term covering four Falcon ALPR cameras.
The Financial Impact: The binding order form billed the town an annual recurring total of $12,000 for the hardware and platform access. Flock Group Inc. invoiced the town $12,000 on September 20, 2025. A municipal treasury warrant confirms the town paid this $12,000 invoice in full on February 2, 2026.
The Operational Failure: According to the City Clerk, only two of the four purchased cameras were ever physically installed. The cameras were scheduled to go live for the Carrollton Police Department on January 1, 2026, but the department was never able to use them.
The Contract Cancellation: Following the operational failures, the Mayor initiated discussions to cancel the contract early in 2026. After receiving "no satisfaction from Flock Safety," the town directed its attorney, Robert Cowherd, to issue a formal letter of cancellation on June 10, 2026.

The documentation traces a highly compliant and transparent public records inquiry with the town's administrative office:
July 31, 2026: Midwest Transparency Audit submitted a formal four-part public records request to Mayor Higgins and the Operations Administrator, demanding all vendor contracts, inter-agency data-sharing logs, private surveillance access frameworks, and localized usage policies.
August 3, 2026: The request was formally routed to City Clerk and Custodian of Records Dana L. Reimer.
August 4, 2026: City Clerk Reimer fulfilled the request entirely, waiving all processing charges. She provided a highly transparent timeline of events, including the execution of the contract, the failure of the equipment to operate for the police department, and the town's subsequent legal cancellation of the agreement.
The Current Status: The Town of Carrollton has officially canceled its Flock Safety contract and terminated its ALPR program. The immediate audit for this agency is closed. Midwest Transparency Audit will continue to monitor regional data-sharing matrices to ensure external agencies are not deploying networks within the town's borders.

Status: COMPLETE. Contract Canceled / Program Terminated. On July 31, 2026, MWTA submitted a formal four-part public records request to the Town of Carrollton demanding all vendor contracts, inter-agency data-sharing logs, private surveillance access frameworks, and localized usage policies regarding their Flock Safety ALPR network. On August 4, 2026, City Clerk Dana L. Reimer responded promptly and fulfilled the request in its entirety, waiving all clerical fees while providing a highly transparent accounting of the town's surveillance history. The released records revealed that despite executing a 24-month contract on June 30, 2025, and remitting a $12,000 payment for four cameras, the hardware was never operational for the local police department. Following months of vendor dysfunction and incomplete installation, the Mayor utilized the town's legal counsel to formally cancel the surveillance contract on June 10, 2026.

Total System Failure & Exemplary Disclosure: Unlike municipalities that employ defensive stall tactics or data fragmentation to hide administrative missteps, Carrollton's staff demonstrated absolute transparency and compliance with Chapter 610, RSMo. The town’s immediate, unredacted release of their procurement history exposes a critical reality of the ALPR industry: costly municipal contracts do not guarantee functional technology. Carrollton's public record serves as a prime case study of a municipality actively protecting taxpayer funds by severing ties with a surveillance vendor following severe implementation failures.