PANOLA COUNTY, Texas (EAST TEXAS NEWS) – Installation has begun of 19 surveillance cameras across Panola County, with the aim of helping the Sheriff’s Office investigate motor vehicle-related crimes.
The cameras, equipped with an automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) system, are intended to monitor traffic and will be used to locate stolen vehicles and other vehicle-related offenses, according to a release from the Panola County Sheriff’s Office.
The cameras may also be used for other public safety matters, such as AMBER and Silver alerts, according to the release.
They are not there to monitor traffic violations, according to the release.
“These ALPR cameras will be used strictly for legitimate law enforcement purposes,” the release states. “The system is not designed to track people, monitor personal activities, or surveil law-abiding citizens.”
The release also notes that the cameras will not be monitored live from department facilities, they cannot record audio, and they are not comparable to CCTV systems used in other countries.
The cameras were funded through a grant from the Texas Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority (MVCPA) that the department applied for last year. The grant was awarded with the aim of reducing vehicle-related crimes.
Construction began on March 3.
Through a similar grant, the Bullard Police Department said license plate reader cameras were installed at “strategic entry and exit points” of the city and reiterated their purpose of capturing license plates.
Thanks to a similar grant, the Bullard Police Department reported that license plate reader cameras had been installed at “strategic entry and exit points” of the city and reiterated that their purpose was to record the license plate, color, make, and model of vehicles to aid criminal investigations, according to a press release published on Thursday.
They noted that any search of the camera data could only be performed if one of the following requirements is met:
- A case number
- The type of case
- The reason for the search
“Thousands of police and transportation agencies have relied on this technology for many years in their respective jurisdictions. ALPR systems are nothing new in Panola County; this is simply a new way of using them.
This technology will be used responsibly and in accordance with the law to serve the residents of Panola County,” states the sheriff’s office in the release.
