ARANSAS COUNTY, Texas —
Rockport Police Chief Nathan Anderson has been using the license plate reader cameras for years, saying they are another tool officers can use to track down stolen vehicles, find missing people and help with investigations.
Anderson told council that only a handful of people have access to the system and that the department has policies in place to keep the technology from being misused.
"That doesn't mean that somebody's committed a crime. The officer still has to be at work. The officer still has to investigate that lead that they got... they have to verify the information. They can't just automatically go up and stop a car because there's a hit." Anderson said.
Some residents say they have seen the benefit. A Key Allegro board member spoke in support of the cameras during the meeting.
"For us, it seems to be working. I speak on behalf of the board. I don't speak on behalf of all residents on Key Allegro, but for us it seems like it's been a pretty good deal." the board member said.
But not everyone is convinced. Jacob Miller, with DeFlock 361, spoke against keeping the cameras.
"But a license plate is a direct proxy for the driver. By tracking the car, you track the citizen." Miller said.
That concern came up during the council discussion, with one council member saying the issue is not whether Rockport police can use the technology responsibly — but whether people in the community trust what happens to their data.
Mayor Pro Tem Andrea Hattman of Ward 4 addressed the police department directly.
"I think my issue is not the police. You guys do a great job and I think you're not utilizing them in a way they should not be utilized. I don't think that's the issue here." Hattman said.
"They don't know where their data is going." Hattman said.
Mayor Tim Jayroe said he supports keeping the cameras, noting the technology has helped police find missing elderly people and murder suspects.
"I think that you've got good stuff going in that direction that I'm in favor of keeping them. That's me. They're a tool. They're a good tool. It helps us solve crimes." Jayroe said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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