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Lubbock police begin using Brazos app to scan IDs, photograph drivers during traffic stops
Summary
Officer Marsh, a traffic unit officer with the Lubbock Police Department, described a new electronic citation system called Brazos that officers will use to scan driver's licenses and vehicle registrations on city-issued phones and attach a driver photograph to the citation.
Officer Marsh, a traffic unit officer with the Lubbock Police Department, described a new electronic citation system called Brazos that officers will use to scan driver's licenses and vehicle registrations on city-issued phones and attach a driver photograph to the citation.
The department says Brazos is intended to make traffic stops and the ticketing process faster by replacing handwritten entries with scanned data. "So with this new system, that we're using called Brazos, it is specifically designed to make traffic stops more efficient when it comes to the ticketing process," Officer Marsh said.
Officer Marsh said officers will use city-issued phones to scan licenses and registrations and to complete citations or written warnings. He said the app requires taking a picture of the driver; "the picture doesn't get saved to the phone. It just gets saved to the actual citation itself," Marsh said. The officer said the system is not limited to traffic violations and covers any Class C misdemeanor under Texas law and city ordinances.
Marsh told the public that motorists retain the right to dispute citations. "You will still be able to dispute a ticket. All of the information that you need to know about that is on the citation. Municipal courts information is located up top right underneath the city of Lubbock logo, and then how to dispute it is towards the bottom," he said.
In guidance to motorists, Marsh reminded drivers to watch stop signs and red lights and to slow down, and urged respectful, patient interactions with officers during stops. "If you're respectful, we're respectful right back. Just be patient. If you think it's taking a long time, there's a reason," Marsh said, adding delays can stem from dispatch backlogs or technical issues with an officer's phone.
The presentation was informational; no formal action, vote, or implementation date was announced at the meeting. Details such as a citywide rollout schedule, data retention policies beyond the citation-level photo statement, and any privacy review were not specified in the remarks.
