Automated license plate readers spark worries of mass surveillance in San Marcos, Austin
The Brief
Austin, San Marcos debating future of automated license plate reader programs
Flock cameras scrutinized over privacy concerns and data access
AUSTIN, Texas - Worries about mass surveillance have both Austin and San Marcos debating the future of automated license plate reader (ALPR) programs.
The Flock cameras have been scrutinized over privacy concerns and data access.
What we know
Community members took the stand one by one during Tuesday's City Council work session to call for the council to strike down the renewal of the ALPR program in Austin.
In 2022, Travis County granted the Austin Police Department the authority to use ALPR and in March 2024, the Flock cameras went live in Austin.
This March, the city council approved a 90-day extension and in May an audit on the program was released.
"This program represents and imminent security threat to Austinites and your constituents by enabling like ICE kidnapping. We know this because it is my understanding that contractor of this program, Flock, has an active contract with ICE for intelligence information outside of that the massive surveillance of all vehicles traveling within the city of Austin is dystopian and concerning," said Austin resident Reece Armstrong at the work session.
"This program scanned 75 million license plates, a staggering number and the success rate of locating persons of interest was less than .02 percent. We also learned that despite the guardrails in place, our contract has no legal force behind it and data that wasn't supposed to have been shared, has been shared, putting our citizens at risk, said Kevin Welch, another Austin resident.
In response to the backlash, the Austin Police Department presented a visual argument on the purpose of the initiative, its impact on public safety, safeguards, and contract revisions.
"We have to understand that if we decide to turn this off there will be a negative impact to the safety and security of our citizens. We are not just talking about stolen vehicles, we are talking about violent criminals," said Asst. Chief Sheldon Askew.
Askew detailed how data is shared from the program, pointing out the category 'smuggling' and why the Texas Department of Public Safety had access.
"I would really like to break down for a minute just what exactly smuggling a person is. When someone is smuggling someone, they are doing so with the intent to hide that person. In other words, they are doing it, putting that person at risk. I think all of us remember that incident that happened in Houston, Texas when a number of people piled in the back of an 18-wheeler," said Askew.
Austin police argue the data from the program is kept for seven days and there are criminal penalties for officers misusing the technology.
"We have robust safeguards in place to ensure the requests that are coming in are monitored, reviewed and there is a standard approach taking so that we can avoid the issues that some of our community members believe are going on right now," said Askew.
What's next
The Austin City Council was supposed to discuss and vote on Item 67, a proposed extension of the ALPR program, during its Thursday meeting.
However, City Manager T.C. Broadnax pulled the item from the agenda Tuesday night, citing the concerns expressed by residents during Tuesday's work session.
Broadnax's decision essentially means Austin's ALPR program will end on June 30.
What we know
On Tuesday night, the city of San Marcos voted on their own ALPR program, aiming to add 19 more cameras to the 14 already in use.
"If you don't want your license plate to be captured, stay off the tollways and TxDOT because there's cameras everywhere," said a San Marcos resident in support of the cameras.
"If Flock or law enforcement tell us these cameras won't be used for this or that, how can we know as we stand here today?" asked a San Marcos resident in opposition to the cameras.
The Source
Information in this report comes from reporting by FOX 7 Austin's Tan Radford.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
12 minutes ago
- CBS News
Pilot killed in Beverly plane crash identified by his family as Geoffrey Andrews
The pilot killed in a small plane crash in Beverly, Massachusetts on Thursday has been identified by his family. Geoffrey Andrews was piloting the plane when it crashed shortly after takeoff Thursday on Sam Fonzo Drive in an industrial park near Beverly Regional Airport. A second man in the plane was injured. He has not been identified. Police said it appears Andrews was attempting to take off when the plane crashed. The FAA said the plane had just left Beverly and was heading to Ticonderoga Municipal Airport, which is about 100 miles north of Albany, New York. "We thank the investigators who we trust will conduct a thorough investigation into what caused this catastrophic loss of life. We also pray for his passenger in the plane and are sending his loved ones strength through this difficult time," said Andrews' family in a statement. His family said Andrews was a staff scientist at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and graduated from Lehigh University and got his doctorate from Purdue University. They said he loved to fly and was working to become a certified flight instructor. Andrews is survived by his wife, Gentry, who is expecting their first child in October. "Beyond his love for flight, Geoffrey was a charismatic, beautiful soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and always had a kind word for others. He was so excited about the upcoming birth of their baby," said his family in a statement.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tulsi Gabbard Flips Sides in MAGA Civil War Over Iran's Nuclear Capabilities
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has flipped her stance on Iran after President Donald Trump nuked her intelligence as 'wrong.' Gabbard told the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 25 that there was no intelligence to suggest Iran was building nuclear weapons, though the country had enriched its uranium to higher levels. Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's June 12 'preemptive' strike on Iran—which he justified by saying that the country has a 'secret plan' to weaponize uranium—Trump sided with Israel's countervailing position. On two separate occasions this week, Trump rebuffed Gabbard's earlier assessment of Iran's nuclear program. 'I don't care what [Gabbard] said,' Trump said aboard Air Force One. 'I think they were very close to having one.' In another comment on Wednesday, the president added that Iran was 'a few weeks' away from turning their uranium into a weapon, echoing similar sentiments shared by Netanyahu. Then on Friday, Gabbard fell in line with Trump, attacking the media for having the gall to believe what she said. 'The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division,' Gabbard wrote to her 600K followers. 'America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly.' She added, 'President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree.' Gabbard included a clip of what she called her 'full testimony,' which has since racked up 8.9 million views. The world has been thrown into a state of limbo while Trump weighs a decision on whether to get the United States involved in strikes on Iran, a decision the country warned would be 'very dangerous.' In a statement read on Thursday by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump said he would make his decision 'within the next two weeks' based on the fact that there 'is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future.' Reuters reported that the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with a group of European diplomats in Geneva on Friday for nuclear talks.
Fox News
17 minutes ago
- Fox News
Interventionists vs isolationists, GOP split on Iran
All times eastern Fox Report with Jon Scott Fox Report with Jon Scott FOX News Radio Live Channel Coverage WATCH LIVE: Failed senate candidate Beto O'Rourke joins Senator Bernie Sanders on the 'Fighting Oligarchy' Tour
