Plano Flock Cameras Go Offline: What It Could Mean for Hit-and-Run Investigations

Plano Police are no longer using roughly 90 Flock Safety automated license-plate reader cameras after the state funding that paid for the system ended. The cameras reportedly cost about $300,000 per year, and Plano Police Chief Ed Drain has said the technology had become an important investigative tool for the department.

For car-accident victims, the development matters because license-plate reader systems can sometimes help police identify a vehicle that fled the scene of a crash. Flock's system can record license plates, vehicle characteristics, locations, and times, allowing investigators to search for a suspected vehicle after an incident.

That does not mean every hit-and-run investigation will involve a Flock search, however. Police departments have limited investigative resources, and more serious crashes—particularly those involving injuries or other significant criminal conduct—may receive greater investigative attention than a property-damage-only wreck.

Plano's 90 Flock Cameras Are Offline

Plano's Flock system had been funded through a state grant. After that funding ended, the city's access to the cameras stopped. Reporting indicates Plano had approximately 90 cameras operating under the program at an annual cost of roughly $300,000.

The change comes as several North Texas cities continue debating the cost, privacy implications, oversight, and investigative benefits of automated license-plate reader technology. Dallas, for example, has also reviewed its Flock program and restricted outside-agency access to its camera data.

How Can Flock Cameras Help After a Hit-and-Run?

A hit-and-run victim may see only a portion of the fleeing vehicle's license plate—or may remember only its color, make, body style, or other identifying characteristics.

Automated license-plate reader systems can potentially give investigators another way to identify that vehicle.

Depending on what information is available, investigators may be able to search for:

• a complete license plate;

• a partial plate;

• the vehicle's make or model;

• body type;

• color;

• location; and

• the approximate time the vehicle passed a camera.

Flock says its system can search both license-plate information and vehicle characteristics and can connect vehicle sightings from different locations.

That capability can be particularly useful when a driver leaves the scene before police arrive.

Police May Not Use Flock for Every Hit-and-Run

One important point for accident victims is that the existence of license-plate reader technology does not guarantee that police will use it in every case.

In a serious crash involving injuries, a fatality, suspected intoxication, or another significant offense, law enforcement may devote substantially more resources to identifying a fleeing driver.

By contrast, a property-damage-only hit-and-run may not receive the same level of investigation. Department policies, available personnel, the seriousness of the offense, the quality of the vehicle description, and whether investigators have a usable time and location can all affect what investigative steps are taken.

I would not state that Plano Police have a formal rule that Flock can only be used when someone is injured, because I have not found a published Plano policy saying that. A safer and more accurate way to explain it is:

In practice, police departments may prioritize Flock and other investigative resources for more serious hit-and-run crashes, especially those involving injuries. Victims of property-damage-only crashes should not assume police will automatically conduct an extensive license-plate reader search.

Why Hit-and-Run Victims Should Gather Their Own Evidence

Because police resources vary, someone injured in a hit-and-run should preserve as much identifying information as possible.

Useful evidence may include:

• dashcam footage;

• photographs of the fleeing vehicle;

• partial license-plate numbers;

• vehicle color and body style;

• company names or markings;

• trailer numbers;

• nearby business surveillance footage;

• residential security-camera footage;

• witness statements;

• TxDOT or city traffic-camera footage; and

• the precise time and location of the crash.

That information can make a Flock or other license-plate search much more useful if police are willing and able to conduct one.

License-Plate Technology Has Already Been Used in North Texas Investigations

North Texas law-enforcement agencies have publicly described using Flock cameras to locate vehicles associated with serious incidents.

Fort Worth Police recently said its Real Time Crime Center used a vehicle description to search Flock cameras following a road-rage shooting and locate the suspect vehicle.

In another recent Fort Worth investigation, police used Flock cameras while trying to determine where a wrong-way driver entered State Highway 121 before a fatal crash.

Those cases illustrate why license-plate reader data may also become relevant when police are attempting to identify or trace a vehicle involved in a serious hit-and-run wreck.

Other Technology May Help Identify a Hit-and-Run Vehicle

Flock is not the only potential source of vehicle-location evidence.

The Wooley Law Firm has previously discussed how insurers and investigators may have access to other vehicle-intelligence databases that associate photographs and sightings with license plates. In one Dallas-area hit-and-run matter, we encountered an insurer using historical vehicle photographs to investigate alleged prior damage.

Read more about how license-plate photo databases can affect Dallas car accident claims.

Dashcams can also be particularly valuable after a hit-and-run because they may capture the fleeing vehicle, plate, company markings, or direction of travel. Our article on dash-camera evidence after Dallas car and truck wrecks explains additional steps for preserving that evidence.

What If Police Do Not Identify the Hit-and-Run Driver?

A victim may still have insurance options even if the fleeing driver is never identified.

Depending on the policy and circumstances, uninsured motorist coverage may potentially apply to injuries or damages caused by an unidentified hit-and-run driver. Coverage issues can depend heavily on the policy language and facts of the collision.

A lawyer can also independently investigate surveillance video, witnesses, business cameras, vehicle databases, commercial-truck records, and other potential evidence instead of relying exclusively on the police investigation.

Injured in a Hit-and-Run Crash in Dallas-Fort Worth?

The Wooley Law Firm represents people injured in hit-and-run, car, and commercial-truck crashes throughout Dallas-Fort Worth and North Texas.

If the other driver left the scene, identifying evidence may disappear quickly. An investigation may include reviewing dashcam video, surveillance footage, vehicle descriptions, partial license plates, traffic-camera evidence, and available vehicle-location information.

For more information about serious car-accident claims, visit our Dallas car accident lawyer page.

Call The Wooley Law Firm at (214) 699-6524 for a free consultation. You don't pay unless we win.

Disclaimer

This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Police investigative practices and access to license-plate reader information vary by department and by case. Reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship.