Police departments in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including those in Tarrant County, are increasingly using automated license plate readers known as Flock cameras to monitor vehicles on public roads. These cameras capture images of license plates and can identify details such as a vehicle's make, model, and color, as well as features like bike racks or trailers. In Tarrant County alone, there are at least 648 of these cameras in operation.
Flock Safety, the company that developed this technology, states that the cameras are designed exclusively for vehicle monitoring and do not collect information about individuals inside the vehicles. They do not use facial recognition technology and are not meant for speed detection or traffic citations.
The data collected by these cameras is kept for a maximum of 30 days before being deleted. Access to this information is limited to police departments, which manage who can search the database. Each search is logged and linked to the individual who conducted it, ensuring accountability. The information is not available in a public database, and police departments can set their own policies regarding data sharing with outside parties.
As the implementation of these cameras grows, drivers in Texas, including those in Denton, should be informed about their presence and the associated privacy and data retention policies.
Fort Worth is about 36 miles south of Denton.
