This browser does not support the Video element.
Austin City Council to vote on security cameras in parks
Austin City Council is expected to vote next week on putting surveillance cameras back in some city parks. The cameras were part of a pilot program to reduce car break-ins at parks.
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin City Council is expected to vote next week on putting surveillance cameras back in some city parks.
The cameras were part of a pilot program to reduce car break-ins at parks.
A vote for another contract for cameras was pulled last summer over privacy concerns.
By the numbers:
In 2022, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department started placing trailers with security cameras in some parks because people were complaining about car break-ins. Those were able to help police in investigations.
The trailers, from the company Stallion, were there until August 2025. They were placed in 15 locations.
Data shows a decrease in car burglaries at every location. There was also a decrease in other crimes involving drugs, assaults, and vandalism.
The moveable trailers are placed in high-crime areas.
"It was really helpful to be not only for the investigation side of the house, but also just as a deterrent," Amanda Ross, natural resources division manager for Austin Parks and Rec said.
Dig deeper:
Last year, a new contract with Live View Technology came before the Council but was pulled.
Some groups, like Equity Action, were concerned about privacy.
"The expansion of surveillance doesn't automatically equal public safety," Savannah Lee, director of policy and operations at Equity Action said. "This is a private, for-profit company contracting with the city in a time in which surveillance is really dangerous with ICE in our city."
The new proposed contract says the city owns all the data, and Live View Technology is barred from accessing and sharing the data. It's permanently deleted after 60 days. It doesn't use facial recognition, and there will be signage at camera locations.
"Our goal is not to put something in a park that's going to make somebody not feel welcome in this space, and so we really tried to hear from the community," Ross said.
Some Council members are proposing the TRUST Act, which was prompted by the park cameras discussion. It would be a comprehensive framework to regulate how surveillance technology is adopted by the city. The resolution, introduced by Mayor Pro Tem Chito Vela, is co-sponsored by Council Members Vanessa Fuentes, Krista Laine, and Mike Siegel.
"Surveillance technology can be an important tool for public safety," Vela said in a statement. "But as these technologies become more powerful and pervasive, the City has a responsibility to be transparent, accountable, and clear about how they’re used, who has access to the data, and how residents’ rights are protected."
The TRUST Act would also ban facial recognition technology and data collection for marketing. It would require annual reports on surveillance tools.
What's next:
The new contract will be discussed in a Council work session on Feb. 3. It's expected to be voted on in the Feb. 5 meeting.
The contract would be for three years with two optional one-year extensions.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen