AUSTIN, Texas — Officers with the Austin Police Department (APD) met with the community Wednesday evening to explain more about reinstating license plate readers in the city.
The readers take photos of license plates, which are linked to a database that pings law enforcement if they snap a photo of a wanted vehicle.
APD stopped using the readers in 2020. But last year, the Austin City Council approved bringing them back to help solve crimes during police department staffing shortages.
The readers come with concerns about privacy and how the data is used. On Wednesday, police leaders told Austin residents that the department won't "target" certain areas with this technology.
"We're not deploying them in specific areas to go find new crimes or to go and find drugs or anything like that. We use the license plate reader system in response to crimes that are reported to us," Asst. Chief Jeff Greenwait said.
Police also said if the cameras ping a wanted vehicle, that's not enough for a warrant. Officers have to verify what the system tells them before moving forward with an investigation.
The KVUE Defenders recently took a closer look at the use of license plate readers in Central Texas. At least 12 agencies and cities in our area use readers made by a company called Flock Safety. Private groups, like homeowners associations, can also use them.
Government agencies can get grants from the State to pay for this technology, but the readers themselves are widely unregulated in Texas. Advocates have called on state lawmakers to file bills to create rules for license plate readers, but so far this session, none have been filed.