Police departments in the Dallas-Fort Worth region are employing automated license plate readers, referred to as Flock cameras, to monitor vehicles on public roads. These cameras capture images of license plates and gather details about a vehicle's make, model, and color, along with identifying features like bike racks or trailers. In Tarrant County, there are at least 648 of these cameras in operation.
Flock Safety, the company that developed this technology, states that the cameras focus exclusively on vehicles and do not record any data about the individuals inside. They do not use facial recognition technology and are not meant for speed enforcement or issuing traffic tickets.
The information gathered by Flock cameras is kept for no longer than 30 days before being automatically erased. During this time, only police departments have access to the data, and each search is logged to ensure accountability. The information is not available in a public database, and police departments can set their own rules regarding sharing this data with outside organizations.
As the implementation of these cameras grows, drivers in Texas should be informed about their capabilities and the associated privacy and data retention practices. Fort Worth is about 46 miles southwest of Allen.
