San Marcos police put new safeguards in place for license plate reader data

SAN MARCOS, Texas - The San Marcos Police Department is implementing safeguards for data related to automated license plate readers (ALPRs) in the city.

What safeguards are police putting in place?

What we know:

SMPD says it is implementing a series of policy and operational changes to strengthen privacy protections related to ALPR technology.

Formal request process for outside LEOs

SMPD says it stopped all automatic sharing of ALPR data with outside law enforcement agencies on June 9. Now, data will only be shared upon request and confirmation of a specific criminal investigation or prosecution.

Agencies will also be required to complete a formal request process, including a non-disclosure agreement, before data will be released. Requests will be accepted for:

Class B state offenses and above
Missing or endangered persons
Stolen vehicles
Hate crimes
Sex crimes
Be on the Lookout (BOLO) reports such as Amber and Silver Alerts

SMPD has also deactivated and is planning to permanently remove five LPR cameras, leaving only the original 14 installed in 2022. The department will place the remaining cameras along routes into and out of the City.

Twelve will be in fixed locations and two are mobile cameras deployed based on investigative needs, SMPD says.

New LPR data audit process

SMPD says it will also be implementing an audit process to ensure the data is being used appropriately as an investigative tool.

Audits were not mandated in the original April 2022 policy, but annual audits are being added in the March 2025 revisions proposed by staff.

SMPD says that turning off automatic sharing access allows it to audit its own personnel directly. Now, all inquiries into the ALPR system must be tied to an active investigation and users will be required to provide both a reason for the search and an associated case number.

Audit controls will also be randomized "due to the number of monthly inquires by SMPD personnel," says the department. To do this, SMPD will:

Select 30 random inquiries per month
Proactively audit selected inquires to ensure lawful usage of the system per policy and proper inclusion of the reason and case number

Contract amendment

SMPD says it is working with the city's legal team and Flock Safety to amend the existing contract to stop the company from collecting aggregated data from the city.

They are seeking a contract amendment to say: "Unless requested by agency, Flock shall not keep or maintain Agency Aggregated Data."

What they're saying:

"Building and maintaining public trust is fundamental to our mission," said San Marcos Police Chief Stan Standridge. "As we leverage Flock ALPR technology to enhance community safety, we will ensure that clear expectations and usage protocols for Flock ALPR data are regularly communicated and understood throughout the department, reinforcing our commitment to privacy and responsible data stewardship."