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Rowlett police outline privacy safeguards and limits on expansion of Flock license‑plate readers
Summary
Police told the council the department retains LPR imagery for 30 days, does not use facial recognition, and will treat newly funded live video cameras as a one‑year trial while departments consider future recurring costs.
Rowlett police briefed the City Council on March 16 about the department’s use of Flock automated license‑plate readers (ALPRs) and proposed additions of live pan‑tilt‑zoom video cameras.
Police presenters said the department began limited ALPR use in January 2023, expanded from an initial 10 cameras to 20 operable LPR units in 2024, and proposed adding 32 more devices — approximately 16 additional LPRs and 16 live‑video PTZ cameras — funded in part by a Justice Assistance Grant and FY26 general‑fund money. The grant amount described by staff was a little over $40,000 to support the initial equipment purchases.
“License plate data is retained for only 30 days,” the police chief said, describing the department policy and technical retention settings. Officials also told council members that the ALPR system does not perform facial recognition, that officers must document a specific investigative purpose before searching the data, and that all searches and the officer login are logged and auditable by supervisors.
On monitoring and access, staff said live feeds would be made available on a case‑by‑case basis to department directors who request access (for example, library or parks directors), but they would not establish a 24‑hour real‑time monitoring center. Instead, the system is monitored in response to alerts and by officers when dispatched to incidents. Staff framed the live‑video purchases as a one‑time trial year: if the city determines the cameras are not providing sufficient value, it can stop follow‑on funding and retain the equipment without ongoing payments.
Police said data sharing is limited to law‑enforcement partners; the department confirmed it currently shares LPR data with roughly 500 Texas agencies and one federal partner, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and that out‑of‑state searches are restricted and handled by request and approval. Staff said the vendor complies with CJIS and national security standards and that Flock provided data in response to a public‑records lawsuit in another state but that the release resulted from the records process rather than a hack.
Council members pressed staff on future features — such as potential AI integrations — and on cybersecurity protections. Police said any capability beyond what department policy allows would require legal review and separate procurement approvals.
