KPRC Click2Houston reported that three bills filed at the Texas Capitol would change how government agencies use automated license plate readers. The proposals range from a statewide ban to warrant requirements and deletion deadlines.
All three remain proposals. Each would need to pass the Texas House and Senate before going to the governor. The bills target technology sold by Flock Safety and other companies.
Which Texas bills would limit plate readers?
- House Bill 331, filed by state Rep. John Bucy, would prohibit government entities across Texas from using automated license plate readers, no matter which company supplies them. It would let people harmed by violations sue for actual damages or $1,000 in statutory damages, plus court costs and reasonable attorney's fees.
- House Bill 847, filed by state Rep. Brian Harrison, would require law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant or court order before using the readers. Images and data could be used only to investigate certain violent crimes. Agencies would publish annual reports on their use.
- House Bill 763, filed by state Rep. Mary González, would allow felony investigations, missing-person cases and recovering stolen vehicles. It would restrict data sharing and generally require government entities to destroy captured plate data within 48 hours. Longer retention would be allowed when information is evidence in a pending criminal case or subject to certain preservation requests, court orders or warrants.
What changes for drivers?
The reporting does not say what drivers would see today, because all three bills are still proposals. If House Bill 331 passed as filed, government entities in Texas would be barred from using the readers. House Bill 847 and House Bill 763 would keep the readers in use under the limits described above.
The reporting does not say what would happen to cameras run by a neighboring city, a county, a business or an HOA. Agencies' published transparency records are listed on the agencies page.
Where does the Conroe proposal stand?
Conroe resident James Fletes, who opposes the technology, said he and other residents collected nearly 1,700 signatures. They want a proposed surveillance ordinance put before Conroe voters in May. The signatures still need to be verified, and a ballot measure has not been secured.
The ordinance would restrict the city's use of plate readers and other systems that systematically track the public. It would keep body cameras and dashboard cameras in use.
Who opposes a ban?
Douglas Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, said removing the cameras would hurt officers' ability to identify and apprehend suspects. He described an officer with Flock access helping locate a suspect's vehicle within minutes during a shooting response at FIFA events in Houston.
Griffith supports safeguards and penalties for improper searches. He said plate reader use should be strictly for law enforcement purposes.
What happens next?
Rep. Bucy said he is open to compromise with lawmakers from both parties on safeguards. The reporting gives no hearing date or vote schedule for any of the three bills. The one date in the reporting is May, when Conroe residents want their proposed ordinance before voters, but the signatures still need verification and no ballot measure is secured. To see where plate readers already operate near you, check the camera map. For background on how these systems work, read how plate readers work.