- Dallas police now use over 600 AI-powered traffic cameras.
- Supporters say the system helps solve crimes quickly.
- Critics warn the tech raises privacy and misuse concerns.
Citizens who prefer to remain off the radar, so to speak, might want to avoid Dallas, Texas. While the state itself preaches freedom and independence from government overreach, the city has embraced AI-powered traffic cameras that take pictures and video of countless cars and citizens every day. Proponents say they’re for safety, while opponents claim they’re a serious privacy concern.
Read: A Single AI Traffic Camera Issued Over 1,000 Fines In Just Four Days
According to public records obtained by The Dallas Morning News, Dallas police now have access to more than 600 license-plate reading cameras mounted around the city, typically on 12-foot poles. In May, the City Council approved a three-year, $5.7 million contract with Flock Safety, funded through a mix of city money and state and federal grants.
Flock’s AI Capabilities Go Far Beyond Plates
One officer described how impressed he was with the clarity of the images available to Flock. He credited it with helping police capture a murder suspect. No doubt, the network is an incredibly powerful tool. Flock’s AI-powered traffic cameras don’t just read plates.
More: A Judge’s Decision Just Made Cities Panic Over What Their Cameras Recorded
The company’s so-called “vehicle fingerprint” technology can identify a car’s make, model, color, decals, visible damage, and even vehicles with paper tags or no tags at all. Police can search the system without a plate number and receive alerts when flagged vehicles move between jurisdictions.
What Else Do They See?
Flock says its tools help solve roughly one million crimes per year, and its co-founder has predicted the technology could one day “nearly eliminate crime.” Nationwide, more than 80,000 Flock traffic cameras are already deployed, with about 5,000 law enforcement agencies using the system.
Of course, with the type of power that these camera systems wield, concerns over their oversight are growing. Several civil liberty organizations, including the ACLU, have brought up how potentially problematic camera networks can be.
Even everyday citizens have proven that Flock’s own traffic cameras sometimes have zero network security. One called them “like Netflix for stalkers,” due to how easy it was to watch both recorded and live footage from Flock cameras.
A Growing Legal and Political Revolt
Some states are pushing back from a legal perspective. Wisconsinites just voted to end a contract with Flock. Flagstaff, Arizona, did, too. A judge in Washington State recently ruled that images and video from such camera networks are public data, so police shut them down. A Colorado Mayor has come under fire after renewing a contract with Flock after the city council voted against it.
Illinois shut its traffic cameras down in 2025, citing safety concerns after an audit. “The findings of the Illinois Secretary of State’s audit,” noted the Evanston Round Table, “combined with Flock’s admission that it failed to establish distinct permissions and protocols to ensure local compliance while running a pilot program with federal users, are deeply troubling.”
For drivers, the debate highlights a growing reality. Roads are becoming increasingly watched, analyzed, and archived. Whether that means safer streets or a step too far remains an open and increasingly heated question. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!