Irmo council approves $403,000 contract to expand Flock camera network

Irmo Town Council voted July 21, 2026, to approve a five-year contract worth approximately $403,000 for an expansion of the town’s Flock license-plate camera network.

The agreement adds 22 cameras, increasing Irmo’s network from 11 cameras to an expected total of 33. The decision expands the town’s public-safety surveillance system and commits town funds to the network for five years.

What the contract changes

Flock cameras are license-plate cameras deployed in the Town of Irmo. The approved agreement more than doubles the number of cameras in the existing network, adding a significant new layer to the system used in connection with local public safety.

The contract’s approximately $403,000 value covers the five-year agreement. Based on the announced total, the town’s commitment averages roughly $80,600 per year across the contract term, although the council’s action was described as a total five-year contract value rather than a separate annual appropriation.

Flock Safety and the Irmo Police Department are among the entities associated with the camera network. The council’s vote is the final action identified in the coverage of the expansion, moving the additional cameras forward as part of Irmo’s public-safety infrastructure.

Vote came despite public opposition

Members of the public opposed the expansion before the council approved it. That opposition places the decision in a broader local debate over the use of automated license-plate technology and the scale of the system operating in the town.

For residents, workers, visitors and businesses, the immediate practical change is the size of the network: Irmo is moving from 11 cameras to 33. A larger network may increase the number of locations where vehicles can be recorded, while also making the town’s rules for managing the system more consequential.

The expansion raises questions about camera coverage, how long information is retained, who can access it, how the system is overseen and how the town will judge whether the additional cameras are effective. Those issues matter because the contract represents a long-term public expenditure and a major increase in automated license-plate surveillance.

The council’s approval does not establish that the cameras will reduce crime, reliably identify suspects or resolve privacy concerns. Those outcomes cannot be determined from the contract approval alone.

For now, the approved action is specific: Irmo will add 22 Flock cameras under a five-year agreement valued at approximately $403,000, expanding the town network from 11 cameras to 33.