LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Cameras at intersections across Lubbock are capturing images of license plates and storing them in a police database, a practice law enforcement says helps solve crimes, but critics call invasive surveillance.<\/p>\n
For the past year, 27 cameras have monitored Lubbock streets, snapping still pictures of license plates as vehicles pass by. The images are stored in the Flock database, which Lubbock Police Department accesses for investigations.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlock cameras are not surveillance. They are an investigative tool. We use them, I would say on a daily basis, to help solve cases,\u201d said Lt. Brady Cross.<\/p>\n
Cross said the cameras help both identify suspects and clear innocent people from investigations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re a great, great tool and sometimes to find an offender as much to vindicate someone. To say it wasn\u2019t this person we thought it was \u2014 it goes both ways. But on a daily basis there are folks on patrol and in investigations that use these for leads in investigations,\u201d Cross said.<\/p>\n
Images not related to active investigations are purged every 30 days, according to police. If an officer finds a lead and identifies a car believed to be involved in a case, that image is saved longer for the retention period of that offense.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow if an officer finds a lead and finds a car believed to be involved in a case, we\u2019ll save that and it will hang around longer for the retention period of that offense but by and large a car passing through an intersection if it\u2019s not related to anything we\u2019re looking into is purged every 30 days,\u201d Cross said.<\/p>\n
The Texas Legislature banned red light cameras in 2019, after concerns they violated due process. Police said Flock cameras differ in how they are used.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not for law enforcement in the sense that we\u2019re going to write a ticket or that we\u2019re going to punish a traffic violation for running a red light or speeding. It is to assist in identifying vehicles, suspect vehicles, in cases like robbery, auto theft and even homicides,\u201d Cross said.<\/p>\n
State Sen. Charles Perry, who represents Lubbock, said modern technology is integral to public safety.<\/p>\n
He recently spoke with Flock representatives to learn how the company and its cameras work.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first impression was \u2018wait a minute, what is this? This is a red light camera, no due process\u2019,\u201d Senator Perry said. \u201cIt\u2019s used as a tool to bring due process to fruition, it\u2019s the front end, it gets you there and then due process starts. And due process determines your guilt or innocence, hopefully correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defense attorney Michael King disagreed with the characterization of the cameras as an investigative tool.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t police work. This is a 24-hour surveillance system, a dragnet that has been placed over the city of Lubbock. Everybody – not suspects, not criminals – every person who comes in or leaves Lubbock County is having their picture taken,\u201d King said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s not about the criminal prosecution, it\u2019s about the invasion, the \u2018Big Brother\u2019 that has come down over the city of Lubbock, which we expect to see a challenge to in court.\u201d<\/p>\n