Push for license place reader tech grows in Austin following shooting spree
Push for license place reader tech grows in Austin following shooting spree
Publish Date: 2026-05-18 23:56:00
Source Domain: cbsaustin.com
AUSTIN, Texas — Some local leaders and law enforcement advocates said license plate reader (LPR) technology could have possibly ended the search for three shooting spree suspects sooner. Now, the city could bring it back under new privacy guidelines.
“There’s no question that it absolutely would have led to a quicker end to all of this,” Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock said of LPR technology in Austin on Monday.
Bullock pointed to what happened once the suspects’ vehicle entered Manor, where license plate cameras were available to law enforcement.
“They immediately looked through their license plate camera data and they found the vehicle was in fact in the Manor area and within 40 minutes, roughly, from the time that they get notice from us, they find the vehicle,” Bullock said.
Austin police have not been able to use most license plate cameras across Central Texas after the city chose not to renew its contract with Flock Safety last year, following concerns about privacy and data sharing.
Gov. Greg Abbott criticized the city’s decision not to use the technology on Monday.
“It’s just one of the ways in which Travis County and the City of Austin are behind the ball as it concerns solving crimes, preventing crimes,” Abbott said.
In April, the Austin City Council passed a new framework for surveillance technology known as the “TRUST (Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology) Act.” The ordinance requires stricter privacy policies and council approval before police can again use license plate readers.
Mayor Kirk Watson suggested Sunday that license plate readers likely could have helped in the search for the three suspects.
“We need to make sure when we’re trying to reach balance and perspective, we take all of that into account,” Watson said during a press conference.
The mayor added to his comments in a statement on Monday, writing in part:
Now that we have the framework in place, it is time we move forward. We…
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