The Georgetown Police Department will begin using license plate scanner technology from Flock Safety following City Council’s approval March 10.

Digging deeper: The contract between GPD and Flock includes 10 fixed cameras that will capture images of vehicles and store the encrypted data for 30 days, according to city documents.

Flock cameras will be installed at “strategic” road locations, Police Chief Cory Tchida said. Images will help identify basic vehicle characteristics like color, make and model, as well as license plate numbers.

“The system does not use facial recognition and is designed specifically to identify vehicles connected to criminal activity,” Tchida said.

Flock’s internal system automatically compares license plates captured on camera to those in national and state crime databases, showing stolen vehicles and wanted persons.

Something to note: Tchida said data captured by Flock cameras will belong to the police department, and the company cannot share data with outside parties. However, GPD will share data with other local police departments and state agencies if needed.

A total of 69 Republican ballots cast on election day, but misplaced and not initially counted, will be tabulated and included in the final canvassed results following a March 12 court order.

What happened: While processing post-election paperwork March 11, the Williamson County Election Department discovered presiding judges at two Republican polling locations misplaced a total of 69 ballots cast on election day, a county spokesperson confirmed in an email.

The ballots, 40 from the Andice Community Center in Florence and 29 from the Cedar Park Randalls, were put in a box of election-related paperwork instead of the ballot box, resulting in them not being counted.

The Republican Party petitioned a Williamson County district judge to reopen the central counting station in order to tabulate these ballots and include them in the final count, which the party is canvassing today.

The outcome: Judge Betsy Lambeth granted the motion allowing the Republican Party's central counting station to reopen and count the ballots.

Francesca's will close its Round Rock boutique at the end of March, as the retailer continues efforts to liquidate merchandise and fixtures while winding down operations. 

How we got here: As previously reported by Community Impact, the retailer began liquidating merchandise in anticipation of closing stores in January, after receiving a notice of default from its lender, requiring the company to shutter. 

About the business: The retailer offers a variety of clothing, footwear, accessories and gifts with a free-spirited flair. 

• Closing at the end of March 
• 4401 N. I-35, Ste. 766, Round Rock