Dallas Police to Install 2 Dozen New Flock Safety Cameras

Two dozen new police cameras are being installed in southwest Dallas.

The advanced cameras — which have faced criticism over privacy concerns — will combat violent crime and bolster public safety, officials say.

Council member Zarin Gracey — who represents District 3, which mostly includes southwest Dallas — announced the new cameras, made by Flock Safety, earlier this month. The cameras scan license plate numbers. The images they collect in Dallas are stored in a database for a year.

“The installation of these cameras will be a game-changer in creating a secure environment for everyone in our community,” Gracey said in a written statement.

In a news release announcing the cameras, his office called it a “milestone” in efforts to enhance security. A Dallas police spokesperson said the 24 new cameras were brought to the district after a review of “constituent input and crime data.” The cameras and licenses were about $158,000, according to Dallas police.

“At this time, we are unable to disclose their exact locations, but please rest assured that they are being strategically placed to enhance safety across the district,” said Yolanda Miller, a spokesperson for Gracey’s office, in an email.

The number of surveillance cameras across Dallas is expected to increase in the coming years, public records show. The new surveillance in District 3 is part of about 600 CCTV cameras and 550 license-plate reading cameras throughout the city, said Dallas police spokesperson Corbin Rubinson in an email. He said residents and businesses can also register cameras with police through ConnectDallas.org.

Rubinson wrote the cameras are “invaluable technology” for several police department divisions.

“Officers can more easily locate missing persons, wanted individuals, track suspects and find evidence to solve violent crimes with these cameras,” Rubinson said.

The information captured by Flock cameras includes a passing vehicle’s license plate, along with its make, model and paint color. Flock Safety says its camera system is used by police departments, businesses and neighborhood groups in more than 5,000 communities across the country. The images can be downloaded and shared, for example, from a neighborhood association member to a police department.

“All data is hard-deleted at the expiration of the data retention period, as mandated by local and state laws,” said Connor Metz, Flock Safety spokesperson, in an emailed statement. Metz said the default retention period for the cameras is 30 days. A Dallas police spokesperson said the retention period for the city is one year.

Though they can have benefits, surveillance technologies used by law enforcement, and automatic license plate readers in particular, have faced criticism over privacy concerns.

In 2022, a policy and advocacy strategy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas told The Dallas Morning News the government shouldn’t track people’s whereabouts just in case they do something wrong and there should be “absolute clarity” about how and where surveillance technology is used in a community. They added that it can disproportionately affect communities of color.

Metz, of Flock Safety, said the technology is built in a way that “maximizes public choice” and allows communities to establish public safety policies that best fit residents.

“We don’t believe that public safety and privacy protections are a zero-sum game — you can have both,” Metz said.

Still, Flock cameras have faced legal challenges. Recently, a judge allowed a federal lawsuit in Virginia to move forward. The suit, brought by two residents and a lawyer with the Institute for Justice, challenged the city of Norfolk’s use of Flock’s license plate reading cameras.

The plaintiffs argue the cameras are a violation of the Fourth Amendment and allow police to track a vehicle’s movement without a warrant.

Metz said courts in numerous states have upheld the use of evidence from the license plate readers as constitutional. Metz added license plates are issued “for the express purpose” of identifying vehicles in public for safety.

“Fourth Amendment case law overwhelmingly shows that license plate readers do not constitute a warrantless search because they take photos of cars in public and cannot continuously track the movements of any individual,” Metz said.

In Dallas, police said the department “abides by the Fourth Amendment and applicable state and federal guidelines as it relates to the recording or capturing of license plates and vehicles in public.” The department has used the automatic license plate readers since at least 2013.

As the budget allows, the department plans to increase the number of Flock cameras within the city this year. It’s unclear exactly how many will be added. A budget accountability report from the city in September said the city estimated 363 cameras would be deployed between October 2024 through September 2025.

In 2022, the council approved spending $820,000 over five years for the cameras. The contract covered installing and maintaining the cameras, along with a software subscription for an online cloud storage database overseen by the company.

Online records show Gracey received $150,000 in the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds for a “Flock Camera Program.” Kathy Stewart, who represents District 10 in northeast Dallas, received $82,000 for the cameras, records show.

An August city memo shows that last year, Dallas police got a $200,000 budget enhancement.

“The current 30-day retention period inhibits the use of the captured data by its brevity,” the memo, sent by Dominique Artis, Dallas’ chief of public safety. “An increased retention period is needed for long-term investigations and serial offenses, which may last six months or more, and offenses where suspect vehicles are identified late in the investigation process.”

The city was to get 43 new cameras, at $2,500 per camera, in addition to the data retention.

Leveraging the technology helps the city take a “proactive approach” in creating a safer community, Gracey’s office said in the announcement about the new District 3 cameras.

“The City anticipates that this investment in advanced technology will strengthen neighborhood safety and foster a greater sense of community well-being,” the announcement said.

This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose,, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.

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