TEMPLE, Texas (KXXV) — Temple neighbors are taking to social media to voice concerns about an expanding network of Flock camera systems spotted around the city, but Police Chief Coy Brown says the technology has been a major benefit to the department.
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The Flock system reads license plates on major roads to detect vehicles that may be connected to a crime. Data is retained for 30 days. The department has used the system since 2022, and in May the city of Temple made another investment in the technology after seeing success with it.
Brown said the cameras do not track people.
"The privacy concerns should definitely be there with any technology that's out there, um, but I will say it's, it detects and recognizes vehicles, not people, not race, not gender. It's in public areas."
Brown said the system helps officers build leads during investigations by cataloging vehicle details.
"That license plate, whether it's damage on the vehicle, maybe a unique bumper sticker, those things, um, you know, as officers get involved into a, uh, call for service, and you say you have a suspect vehicle, it's entered into a system."
Brown also cautioned residents against reading too much into the placement of new cameras in their neighborhoods.
"Citizens in the community, if they see one coming up in their neighborhood, doesn't mean the crime's increasing in that area. It's us trying to enhance, um, I guess the mapping and the technology and the overlap, um, of the network in it because we do see a lot of benefit in it."
By connecting with a regional network, the department said the system has assisted with cases ranging from homicides to robberies.
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