The city uses AI-powered cameras mounted on 50 garbage trucks to capture still images from public streets for software to scan for possible code violations involving lawns, debris, structures, sidewalks and graffiti.
In just four months, the cameras have photographed more than 20,000 code concerns. That resulted in 57 citations at 34 properties — primarily in the southern parts of Dallas.
Properties in east and southeast Oak Cliff had the most citations with 24. Properties in southern Dallas also made up a majority of the photographed concerns, at about 13,800 of the 20,000 images, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis of city data. The highest concentration was in the 75216 ZIP code and Cedar Crest neighborhood.
Dallas City Council member Chad West, who represents Oak Cliff, is questioning whether the technology could unintentionally target southern Dallas residents who may face citations for conditions such as peeling paint but cannot afford repairs.
West said he planned to propose eliminating the program's roughly $852,000 annual budget allocation but instead requested city staff brief council members on who can access the images, how long they are stored and whether the system could disproportionately affect lower-income neighborhoods.
City officials said only code compliance and sanitation employees have access to the software and the images it collects. Citations are issued only after a code officer inspects the property, provides notice to the owner and the condition remains unresolved.
The camera on a bulky trash truck captures a still image during its route, then:
- AI-powered software flags a potential concern,
- A code compliance analyst reviews the observation,
- City workers decide whether to take no action, send a courtesy notice or open a case,
- A code officer inspects the property in person, and
- A citation may be issued only after an actual violation is confirmed.
The most common observations included lawn debris, grass height, vehicles on lawns, weeds, litter and peeling or damaged exterior surfaces.
Heat maps provided by the city's code compliance department show the AI cameras documented more issues in southern Dallas. The maps raise questions about whether the system could place more scrutiny on neighborhoods with older homes, more deferred maintenance or fewer resources for repairs.
But the maps alone don't show whether southern Dallas is being targeted.
To determine that, the city would need to provide the number of properties scanned, truck routes, camera passes and images captured per property by neighborhood. It would also need to show how many observations became courtesy notices, formal cases or citations.
Less than 2 percent of flagged observations in southern Dallas resulted in a courtesy notice. In the rest of the city, which collected about 7,300 code concerns, more than 4 percent of observations resulted in courtesy notices.
Last year, the Dallas City Council approved a three-year, $2.56 million contract to install cameras on 50 brush and bulky-waste collection trucks and use AI software to analyze images.
Before the vote, West pulled the item from consent agenda, raising concerns about the technology being used for surveillance.
City officials said the program would use existing sanitation routes and could reduce code officers' patrol time, encourage voluntary compliance and allow officers to focus on education, outreach and more complex cases.
Before the cameras were installed, residents and technology experts raised concerns about surveillance, data storage and the potential misuse of images.
City officials and City Detect, the Alabama-based vendor, previously told The News the cameras would capture still images from public rights of way, rather than continuous video. Faces and license plates could be blurred and the data would be stored in the United States.
Dallas has not completed a comprehensive evaluation or return-on-investment analysis.
City staff can count what its cameras are seeing, but it cannot yet show how much money the system saves or whether it improves code enforcement.
The program is scheduled for a Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee briefing Oct. 19, where council members are expected to question the system's cost, privacy safeguards, geographic impact and measurable results.
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