Parker County Approves AI License Plate Readers

Tribune News Service — Parker County will begin using cameras that read license plates and share data with law enforcement using artificial intelligence.

County commissioners recently approved a request from the sheriff’s office to use seized asset funds to purchase license plate reader cameras from Flock Safety. The private Atlanta-based company sells plate readers, drones and gunshot detectors to thousands of law enforcement agencies and home-owner associations across the U.S.

The cameras do not detect speed. Rather, they capture the rear of vehicles that pass by to record license plate information. Flock cameras also use “vehicle fingerprinting technology” — an AI-driven system that captures vehicle details, including make, model, color, car stickers and temporary plates.

Flock, which valued itself at $7.5 billion in 2025, flouts additional AI-powered investigative technologies, including a feature that alerts law enforcement when “suspect vehicles” have been detected in multiple states. The Parker County Sheriff’s Office declined to share details about its contract with Flock Safety — including how many cameras it will obtain and where they will be placed. Information about how much is being spent on the cameras was not available by publish time.

“We know how important these cameras are,” Chief Deputy Mark Arnett told commissioners on March 23. “We’re seeing it in other counties. It’s helping us solve cases, and they’re invaluable.”

The Parker County Sheriff’s Office currently does not have any Flock cameras, Arnett told the Star-Telegram.

“We’re surrounded on all sides,” Arnett said. Tarrant County uses Flock cameras, and the Fort Worth City Council approved a contract with Flock in June 2025.

The sheriff’s office recently applied for a Catalytic Converter Theft Grant through the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, with hopes of using the grant to purchase cameras. The application is still pending, Arnett said. The sheriff’s office got approval last budget cycle from commissioners to secure funds for the grant, but the grant only opened in March 2026.

While waiting on that grant application, Arnett said the sheriff’s office is seeking to double its purchase by using seized asset funds — money derived from property law enforcement obtained during criminal investigations. The use of Flock cameras in law enforcement agencies across the U.S. has spiked in recent years, sparking debates over surveillance and data sharing. Flock’s CEO, Garrett Langley, responded in June to criticism over surveillance concerns and data sharing with federal agencies. Langley stated in his response that Flock Safety does not share data with federal agencies, but rather customers of Flock can choose to share data with the feds. Langley cited examples where he said Flock cameras were vital in solving cases, including a child sex trafficking case in Detroit in 2024 and a retail theft operation in Denver in 2025.

Still, some municipalities across the country have moved toward cutting Flock contracts in response to concerns and criticism from residents, NPR reported.

Reporting from Colorado News 9 in 2025 uncovered that Flock Safety had operated a pilot program that allowed federal agencies, such as Customs and Border Protection, to send invites to local law enforcement agencies. The American Civil Liberties Union has been one of the company’s most prominent critics in recent years.

Flock Safety is the subject of a class action lawsuit filed in California alleging it violated state law on license plate readers. No similar lawsuits have been filed in Texas.

Texas did however recently fine the company for operating without a license, the Houston Chronicle reported. A federal lawsuit over Fourth Amendment violations was filed against the city of Norfolk, Va., in 2024 for use of Flock cameras. A federal judge recently sided with the city, ruling in January that the use did not violate the Fourth Amendment.

©2026 Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.