Texas DPS installs license plate readers in Austin

The Texas Department of Public Safety has installed automated license plate readers along several state rights-of-way in Austin, following authorization from the Texas Department of Transportation.

The DPS has confirmed the deployment and released its internal policy, which outlines the deployment, operation, and oversight of the automated license plate reader, or ALPR, systems.

Officials stated that the readers will be used exclusively for law enforcement purposes.

Under the policy, ALPR systems and associated data will be used “solely for legitimate law enforcement purposes,” including identifying stolen vehicles and license plates, locating wanted or missing persons, supporting alert systems such as AMBER, Silver, and Blue Alerts, assisting in criminal investigations and homeland security efforts, and enhancing security at critical infrastructure and public events.

“They’ve historically been a very powerful tool for law enforcement, for obtaining leads, for tracking down stolen vehicles, and for solving sometimes violent crime,” said Michael Bullock, president of the Austin Police Association.

The policy allows DPS to install ALPR technology on department vehicles, at fixed roadside locations, or as portable units, subject to approval.

DPS also outlined specific data retention limits. According to the policy, information stored in a third-party vendor database—including images and metadata—will be retained for 30 days.

DPS data is kept for a year, and external law enforcement data is kept for a year. That information includes limited metadata such as the date, time, geocoordinates, originating agency identifier, and license plate number.

The agency said access to ALPR data will be restricted to authorized personnel. All access must be logged and will be subject to regular audits to ensure compliance with policy guidelines.

DPS did not specify how many readers have been installed in Austin or whether additional deployments are planned elsewhere in Texas.

Automated license plate readers are widely used by law enforcement agencies across the state and country as investigative tools, but they have also drawn scrutiny from privacy advocates concerned about data collection and long-term storage. DPS officials stated that their policy aims to strike a balance among investigative needs, oversight, and accountability.