Tolleson · Civic Topic
Police Surveillance Technology
City records document FY2020 license plate reader deployment, FY2021–FY2022 ALPR project allocations, and separate drone-related budget entries. Current equipment counts, vendors, and actual spending remain unverified.
At a glance
What the records show
License plate readers
Documented deployment and allocations
- City-reported deployment
- FY2020
- FY2021 ALPR project
- $50,000
- FY2022 ALPR project
- $60,000
- Current camera count
- Not verified
The City's FY2020 financial report describes license plate readers placed throughout Tolleson.
Budget allocation, not confirmed expenditure.
Budget allocation; the records do not establish whether this continued or expanded the earlier project.
The reviewed records do not establish the current inventory or manufacturer.
Drones
Separate budget entries
- FY2023 FEMA Drone Program
- $167,000
- FY2027 First Responder Drone
- $65,000
FEMA stands for Federal Emergency Management Agency. Budget entry only; actual expenditure and equipment count are not established here.
Separate police budget entry; not confirmation of purchase or deployment.
Repeated annual allocations are not cumulative spending totals. FEMA Drone Program and police drone entries are shown separately below.
Tolleson City records document the placement of license plate readers and budget allocations for automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras and drone-related programs. This page distinguishes documented deployment from budgeted projects and identifies details that the reviewed records do not establish.
License plate readers
Documented FY2020 deployment
Tolleson’s FY2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report states that license plate readers were strategically placed throughout the city during fiscal year 2020.
The report does not identify the manufacturer, number of readers, precise installation dates or locations, or whether the same equipment remains in operation.
FY2021 and FY2022 budget entries
| Fiscal year | City budget description | Budget allocation |
|---|---|---|
| FY2021 | ALPR Cameras (License Plate Project) | $50,000 |
| FY2022 | ALPR Cameras (License Plate Project) | $60,000 |
Each fiscal year’s Capital Improvement Plan and adopted budget repeat the same project entry. They are not separate allocations within that year.
These entries document budgeted amounts, not confirmed purchases or expenditures. The reviewed records do not establish whether the FY2022 entry represented additional equipment, a continuation of the earlier project, or replacement equipment.
Drone budget history
Tolleson budget documents separately identify a Drone Project, a FEMA Drone Program (FEMA stands for Federal Emergency Management Agency), and Public Safety Police drone entries. The reviewed records do not establish the FEMA Drone Program’s funding source, operational purpose, or relationship to the separately listed police drone entries.
| Fiscal year | Budget description | Budget allocation |
|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | Drone Project | $10,000 |
| FY2023 | FEMA Drone Program | $167,000 |
| FY2025 | FEMA Drone Program equipment | $63,620 |
| FY2026 | FEMA Drone Program equipment | $63,620 |
| FY2026 | Public Safety Police – Drone | $35,000 |
| FY2027 | FEMA Drone Program equipment | $63,620 |
| FY2027 | Public Safety Police – First Responder Drone | $65,000 |
| FY2027 | Public Safety Police – Drone | $40,000 |
These are budget entries, not confirmed purchases or cumulative spending. Repeated FEMA Drone Program entries across fiscal years should not be added together as though they represent separate purchases. The FEMA Drone Program and police drone entries are presented separately because the reviewed records do not establish that they describe the same equipment or program.
Timeline
City-reported activity and budget allocations are shown separately. Budget entries are not confirmed expenditures.
-
FY2020 · Reported deployment
The City's FY2020 financial report states that license plate readers were strategically placed throughout Tolleson. The report does not identify the manufacturer or number of readers.
-
FY2020 · Drone budget
A City budget entry identifies $10,000 for a Drone Project. The allocation does not establish a purchase or deployment.
-
FY2021 · ALPR budget
The adopted budget lists $50,000 for ALPR Cameras (License Plate Project).
-
FY2022 · ALPR budget
The adopted budget lists $60,000 for the same named ALPR project. The reviewed records do not establish whether this was a continuation, expansion, or replacement.
-
FY2023 · FEMA Drone Program
The adopted budget lists a $167,000 FEMA Drone Program allocation.
-
FY2025 · FEMA Drone Program
The adopted budget lists $63,620 for FEMA Drone Program equipment.
-
FY2026 · Drone budgets
The adopted budget lists $63,620 for FEMA Drone Program equipment and a separate $35,000 Public Safety Police drone entry.
-
FY2027 · Drone budgets
The adopted budget lists $63,620 for FEMA Drone Program equipment, $65,000 for a First Responder Drone, and a separate $40,000 Public Safety Police drone entry.
Repeated annual FEMA Drone Program allocations should not be added together as cumulative spending.
Public ALPR map references
FindingFlock / OpenStreetMap volunteer reports
FindingFlock currently lists 59 volunteer-documented automated license plate readers inside this city. FindingFlock identifies all 59 documented readers as Flock Safety units. FindingFlock lists Tolleson at 10.3 readers per square mile.
FindingFlock says these figures were checked against OpenStreetMap on September 24, 2026 and last changed on September 9, 2026.
This count is useful public-source context, but it is not an official City inventory. FindingFlock locations are documented through public volunteer mapping and may lag behind camera additions, removals, or changes in the field.
DeFlock
DeFlock is listed as an additional public, community-oriented ALPR camera map. OWVAZ is not currently using DeFlock for automated city-level count polling.
FLOCK Surveillance Network Map
The FLOCK Surveillance Network Map is listed as broader public research context. OWVAZ is not currently using it for automated city-level count polling.
The FLOCK Surveillance Network Map describes itself as an independent research site presenting Joshua Michael’s cybersecurity work. It says it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Flock Safety, Flock Group, Inc., or their products; that Flock names and marks belong to their respective owners and are used only to identify the research subject; and that use of copyrighted material is intended as fair use for criticism, comment, scholarship, and research under 17 U.S.C. § 107.
For now, OWVAZ should only use FindingFlock for city-level count polling. DeFlock and the FLOCK Surveillance Network Map are listed as additional public context sources unless stable public data sources and terms are confirmed.
What the reviewed records do not establish
The reviewed records do not establish:
- Tolleson’s current ALPR camera count or complete equipment inventory.
- The manufacturer or vendor of the FY2020 ALPR equipment or later ALPR projects.
- Whether the FY2021 and FY2022 ALPR allocations resulted in purchases, expansion, or replacement.
- The complete actual expenditure history for ALPR and drone equipment.
- The current ALPR data-retention period, access controls, or data-sharing arrangements.
- The current operational status, equipment count, or vendor of the drone-related programs.
An unidentified detail should not be interpreted as evidence that the equipment, policy, or arrangement does not exist.
Official Sources (8)
View official sources
These government sources support the information on this page. OWVAZ preserves an original source address even if the government later moves or removes the document.
City of Tolleson Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2020
The report cover identifies this document as the FY2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020, despite the misleading FY2019 local archive filename. Under Accomplishments and Initiatives, PDF viewer page 13 (printed page iii), the City reports that license plate readers were strategically placed throughout the city during FY2020. This establishes a City-reported deployment by the end of FY2020, but does not establish the manufacturer, device count, precise installation dates or locations, expenditure, ownership, continued operation, or current inventory. The report also describes separate police crime-mapping and resident security-video-sharing initiatives; it does not establish that either was integrated with the license plate readers.
Detailed Adopted Budget FY 2019-2020
The FY2020 adopted budget identifies a $10,000 Drone Project allocation. A budget allocation does not establish that equipment was purchased or deployed.
Detailed Adopted Budget FY 2020-2021
The FY2021 adopted budget lists $50,000 for ALPR Cameras (License Plate Project), under Public Safety Police. This is a budgeted amount, not confirmed expenditure.
Detailed Adopted Budget FY 2021-2022
The FY2022 adopted budget lists $60,000 for ALPR Cameras (License Plate Project), under Public Safety Police. The reviewed records do not establish whether this continued, expanded, or replaced the earlier project.
Detailed Adopted Budget FY 2022-2023
The FY2023 adopted budget identifies a $167,000 FEMA Drone Program allocation. This entry does not establish actual spending or equipment deployment.
Detailed Adopted Budget FY 2024-2025
The FY2025 adopted budget identifies $63,620 for FEMA Drone Program equipment. This is a budget entry, not confirmed expenditure.
Detailed Adopted Budget FY 2025-2026
The FY2026 adopted budget identifies $63,620 for FEMA Drone Program equipment and a separate $35,000 police drone entry. These allocations do not establish actual purchases or deployment.
Detailed Adopted Budget FY 2026-2027
The FY2027 adopted budget identifies $63,620 for FEMA Drone Program equipment, $65,000 for a First Responder Drone, and a separate $40,000 police drone entry. These are budget allocations, not confirmed expenditures.