The Dallas Police Department (DPD) has cut down the number of outside agencies that can access its Flock camera data, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported.
This change comes as Dallas officials consider the use of license plate readers against privacy concerns. The DPD reduced access from over 1,500 outside agencies to 202. All remaining agencies are located within Texas. The DPD also stopped sharing Flock data with federal partners.
What does this mean for drivers in Dallas?
If you drive in Dallas, fewer agencies outside the city can now access your vehicle's location data collected by Flock cameras. This means that while Dallas police still use the cameras, the scope of data sharing has narrowed. The DPD maintains a network of over 670 Flock cameras equipped with license plate readers.
Drivers should know:
- Data Sharing: Data is now shared only with 202 agencies, all within Texas.
- Federal Access: Federal partners no longer have access to DPD's Flock data.
- Data Retention: The DPD's current policy retains Flock data for 365 days.
NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported that 321 Flock cameras in Dallas are scheduled to be deactivated soon. This follows Governor Greg Abbott's decision to pull state funding due to reported misuse of Flock technology by officers in other cities.
What questions can residents ask?
Residents can ask their local representatives about the specific policies governing camera use and data access. Some questions to consider include:
- What is the exact number and location of active Flock cameras in my neighborhood?
- What specific criteria does DPD use to determine which Texas agencies can access the data?
- What auditing mechanisms are in place to prevent misuse of the data by DPD officers or partner agencies?
- Is there a public process for reviewing the 365-day data retention policy?
For more information on how license plate readers work and where they are deployed, visit our /learn section. You can also explore the cameras we've mapped on our /map.
The Dallas Public Safety Committee received an update on DPD's Flock technology use on Monday. This occurred six days after the City Council indicated support for maintaining $1.5 million in Flock funding for the next year. Deputy Chief William Griffith stated that longer retention periods have helped solve crimes, including 13 murders this year. Flock Safety's head of policy, Trevor Chandler, told council members that Flock is introducing proactive auditing to detect unusual searches more quickly. This aims to help identify potential officer misuse nationally.