The Texarkana Texas Police Department is addressing questions from the public about its use of Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras, saying the technology is designed to help solve crimes, recover stolen vehicles, and locate missing persons—not monitor the daily activities of law-abiding citizens.
In a statement released Thursday, the department said it has received questions and misconceptions about the camera system and wanted to explain how it works and how officers use the technology.
According to the department, Flock cameras capture information that is visible from public roadways, including a vehicle’s license plate, make, model, color, and the date, time, and location where it was observed.
Police emphasized that the cameras do not use facial recognition technology, do not identify drivers or passengers, and do not collect information from cell phones, credit cards, or other electronic devices inside a vehicle.
“There is not a room full of officers sitting somewhere watching everyone’s movements around town,” the department said. “That’s simply not how the system works.”
Instead, officials said the system generates alerts when a vehicle has been entered into law enforcement databases for a legitimate investigative purpose, such as a reported stolen vehicle, a felony investigation, an AMBER Alert, a Silver Alert, or another authorized law enforcement request.
The department pointed to several recent cases in which it says Flock cameras assisted investigators.
Among them was the arrest of a man wanted on a capital murder warrant out of Little Rock after his vehicle was located at a Texarkana hotel. Police also credited the system with helping locate a missing Texarkana woman with dementia after her vehicle generated an alert approximately 100 miles from the city, allowing officers to coordinate with another law enforcement agency and locate her safely.
Most recently, investigators said Flock cameras were one of several investigative tools—including surveillance video, witness information, and traditional detective work—that helped identify vehicles connected to the theft of an ATM on Stateline Avenue, leading to arrests within hours of the crime.
The department acknowledged that some residents have concerns about privacy and accountability when it comes to the use of automated license plate readers.
Police said only authorized Texarkana Texas Police Department officers and the department’s crime analyst have access to the system, that every search is logged, and that access is limited to legitimate law enforcement purposes.
According to the department, data collected by the cameras is automatically deleted after 30 days unless it has been preserved as part of an active criminal investigation or another authorized purpose.
“We know not everyone is going to have the same opinion about this technology, and that’s okay,” the department said in its statement. “Questions about privacy and accountability are important.”
The department said it believes the technology has become an important investigative tool, helping officers recover stolen vehicles, locate missing people, identify dangerous offenders, and solve crimes more quickly while maintaining safeguards intended to protect public privacy.
