Bowie council OKs police chief to sign TxDOT ALPR agreement after heated public debate

The Bowie City Council voted to authorize Police Chief Green to sign a multiuse agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) that would permit installation and operation of six automated license-plate recognition (ALPR) cameras in TxDOT right of way outside the city limits.

Police Chief Green told the council the cameras are intended to help recover stolen vehicles and assist investigations. "We have recovered several stolen vehicles with the flock cameras from our neighboring agencies," he said, adding that access would be restricted to detectives and himself and that the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority and Texas Department of Motor Vehicles require stringent policies and audit trails for misuse. Chief Green said the city’s contribution to the grant is a $3,600 match and that initial equipment costs are carried by grant funding.

Residents at the meeting urged caution and transparency. "The 4th Amendment guarantees that we are secure from unreasonable searches and seizures," said Laura Flood during public comment, warning the council that ALPRs create long-term tracking records that can reveal worship, school and medical visits. Kylie Woodworth said she had filed a Texas Public Information Act request for the grant application, proposed TxDOT agreement and vendor and funding details and asked the council to postpone action until the documents were available to the public.

Council members debated whether approving the MOU would place the cameras on state highways outside Bowie — as Chief Green said — or effectively bring the technology into town via connected systems. One councilor urged placing cameras in TxDOT right of way to avoid siting them on city streets and to limit municipal responsibility.

A motion to allow the chief to sign the TxDOT multiuse agreement passed by council vote (4–2). The council majority framed the decision as authorization for the chief to enter the agreement; Chief Green said he would limit system logins to himself and three investigators and implement auditing to detect misuse. Opponents said the public has not yet seen key documents and voiced ongoing privacy, oversight and future-expansion concerns.

The chief told the council he would welcome constituents to visit his office for further questions and said the department will discipline misuse of the system, up to termination. The council did not adopt a separate ordinance today to ban or restrict ALPRs; members noted that future action could modify the policy or placement if warranted.