Sources and methodology

An argument for removal, built from a checkable record.

This site takes a clear policy position: Celina should end the ALPR program and remove its 47 readers. That conclusion does not change the standard for factual accuracy.

Official recordRemoval position

Editorial position

Advocacy is explicit. Evidence stays labeled.

Celina ALPR Watch is an evidence-led advocacy project, not a neutral City information portal. It argues for complete termination and removal because the public record shows mass collection, broad access, recurring cost, suspicionless query authority, and no published local outcome accounting sufficient to justify continuing the network.

The site also preserves evidence that cuts the other way: ALPRs can improve plate-checking efficiency and help generate investigative leads; Celina's policy contains real safeguards; and access granted is not proof of actual use. Those facts make the case more honest, not less urgent.

Statements about Celina rely first on Celina records. National incidents illustrate risks rather than allege local wrongdoing. Other cities' official removal records show that ending similar programs is possible without establishing what Celina's contracts require.

Methodology

How claims are evaluated and labeled

Official first

City records receive priority for Celina locations, purchases, policy, meeting actions, and civic information.

Claims stay labeled

Vendor claims, independent research, live snapshots, inferences, and proposed safeguards use distinct status labels.

Access is not use

“Granted access” is distinguished from proof that an organization searched or used Celina data.

Absence is not nonexistence

“Not publicly disclosed” does not mean “does not exist,” and national incidents are not presented as Celina misconduct.

Dynamic facts are dated

Dashboard figures are date-stamped so readers can distinguish a current value from a historical snapshot.

Live snapshot

The sharing count was measured from the live portal on August 2, 2026: 1,078 entries and 1,076 distinct organization names. Audit visibility was compared on August 4, 2026: Celina displayed no Public Search Audit section, while at least eight Texas agency portals reviewed for comparison displayed a public 30-day audit.

Keeping figures current

Live numbers are dated so readers know when they were checked.

Camera, plate-read, retention, and sharing figures can change. The site shows a verification date beside those claims and checks an official source before replacing a dated value.

Older figures are described as historical snapshots, not as current facts.

Expanded source library

Search and filter the record

Each entry states the claim it supports and opens the original source in a new tab. The library includes official municipal transparency comparisons and termination records in addition to Celina materials, law, research, vendor statements, and independent reporting.

55 sources shown
City information page

Flock Safety Technology

Celina Police Department · Current page

Local descriptions of detections, prohibited uses, access logs, and police contact information.

Open source
Department policy

City of Celina Flock Policy

City of Celina · Effective Jan. 2, 2025

Permitted and prohibited uses, search documentation, retention, verification, and DPS transfer.

Open source
Live dashboard

Celina TX PD Transparency Portal

Celina Police Department / Flock Safety · Figures verified Aug. 2; audit visibility checked Aug. 4, 2026

47 cameras, 30-day retention, rolling usage totals, sharing entries, and public use descriptions. The portal reports a total search count but does not display a Public Search Audit or CSV download.

Open source
Meeting record

December 10, 2024 meeting overview

City of Celina · Dec. 10, 2024

Council agenda context for the first camera purchase.

Open source
Council minutes

December 10, 2024 council minutes

City of Celina · Dec. 10, 2024

6-0 consent-agenda approval and the first purchase amounts.

Open source
Procurement record

2024 Flock order form

City of Celina / Flock Safety · 2024

Six readers, initial and renewal terms, retention, notice, and disclosed costs.

Open source
Planning record

Phase 1 camera planning document

Celina Police Department · 2024

Six officially documented camera IDs, intersections, directions, and coordinates.

Open source
Meeting record

December 9, 2025 meeting overview

City of Celina · Dec. 9, 2025

Council agenda context for the 41-camera expansion.

Open source
Council minutes

December 9, 2025 council minutes

City of Celina · Dec. 9, 2025

7-0 consent-agenda approval of the expansion purchase.

Open source
Procurement record

2025 41-camera order form

City of Celina / Flock Safety · 2025

41 readers, pricing, renewal terms, notice, and Flock Nova OSINT Data and Customer Data included in the purchase package.

Open source
Staff presentation

2025 police staff presentation

Celina Police Department · Dec. 9, 2025

Grant history, $112,000 reimbursement, $28,000 city share, the annual reapplication plan, and the stated 12–18 month deployment objective.

Open source
Council minutes

April 14, 2026 council minutes

City of Celina · Apr. 14, 2026

The consent agenda passed 6-0 and included Resolution No. 2026-015R authorizing another MVCPA grant application. The minutes do not establish a grant award.

Open source
City guidance

Public Information Requests

City of Celina · Current page

How to request existing city records and where written requests may be sent.

Open source
Records portal

JustFOIA public request form

City of Celina · Current portal

Direct public form for submitting a public-information request.

Open source
City information page

City Council

City of Celina · Verified Aug. 2, 2026

Current council contacts, regular meeting time, and council information.

Open source
Meeting portal

Meeting portal

City of Celina · Current portal

Current agendas and meeting materials residents should verify before attending.

Open source
Council agenda

March 10, 2026 City Council agenda

City of Celina · Mar. 10, 2026

Current-year Open Forum instructions: submit a speaker card before the meeting, three-minute limit, and nine copies for handouts.

Open source
Board transcript

MVCPA board transcript

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles · July 18, 2025

Celina's listed $112,000 Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority award.

Open source
Statute

Texas Public Information Act

Texas Legislature · Current code

Public access to existing government records, subject to statutory exceptions.

Open source
Government guidance

Open-records guidance

Texas Attorney General · Current guidance

Open-records rulings, exceptions, and governmental-body guidance.

Open source
Statute

Texas Data Privacy and Security Act

Texas Legislature · Current code

The consumer privacy law's exemption for state agencies and political subdivisions.

Open source
Proposed legislation

HB 961 introduced text

Texas Legislature · 2025

Proposed warrant or court authorization, offense limits, destruction, and reporting safeguards.

Open source
Bill history

HB 961 history

Texas Legislature · 2025

The proposal was referred to committee and did not become law.

Open source
Proposed legislation

HB 2083 introduced text

Texas Legislature · 2025

Proposed use limits, federal-sharing restrictions, 48-hour deletion, reporting, and civil remedy.

Open source
Bill history

HB 2083 history

Texas Legislature · 2025

The proposal remained in committee and did not become law.

Open source
Court opinion

United States v. Porter

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · Mar. 17, 2026

The limited periodic public-road LPR observations at issue were not a Fourth Amendment search.

Open source
Court opinion

Carpenter v. United States

U.S. Supreme Court · June 22, 2018

Long-term historical cell-site records were treated as a search; the case did not concern ALPRs.

Open source
Randomized experiment

Combating Auto Theft in Arizona

National Institute of Justice · Dec. 2011

Plate checks, hits, and vehicle recoveries increased in the evaluated deployment.

Open source
Evidence profile

License Plate Recognition Technology as a Crime Deterrent

NIJ CrimeSolutions · Posted May 16, 2013; no longer updated

The profile rated the program ineffective and reported no statistically significant reductions in the evaluated general- or vehicle-crime measures.

Open source
Peer-reviewed study

2025 peer-reviewed ALPR evaluation

Police Practice and Research · 2025

Limited support for broad crime-reduction claims alongside possible investigative benefits.

Open source
Vendor product page

License Plate Readers

Flock Safety · Current page

Vendor description of searchable vehicle records and product capabilities.

Open source
Vendor policy

LPR policy

Flock Safety · Current page

Vendor description of LPR data and system rules.

Open source
Vendor FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Flock Safety · Current page

Vendor statement that cameras capture still images rather than ordinary streaming video.

Open source
Vendor trust page

Law-enforcement access controls

Flock Safety · Current page

Vendor-described sharing and access controls.

Open source
Vendor trust page

Compliance tools

Flock Safety · Current page

Vendor-described compliance and audit controls.

Open source
Vendor statement

Statement on immigration searches

Flock Safety · Current page

Vendor-described restrictions involving immigration and certain search terms.

Open source
Vendor statement

How Flock handles license-plate data deletion

Flock Safety · June 2, 2026

Vendor description of customer-controlled retention, automated deletion, audit logs, legal-hold exceptions, and deletion verification.

Open source
Official comparison portal

Arvada CO PD Transparency Portal

Arvada Police Department / Flock Safety · Verified Aug. 4, 2026

One detailed example of the portal's downloadable 30-day Public Search Audit, with user IDs masked and timestamps, network counts, and offense types published.

Open source
Official Texas comparison portal

Temple TX PD Transparency Portal

Temple Police Department / Flock Safety · Verified Aug. 4, 2026

Texas agency portal that publishes a Public Search Audit and CSV download for searches performed over the prior 30 days.

Open source
Official Texas comparison portal

Pflugerville TX PD Transparency Portal

Pflugerville Police Department / Flock Safety · Verified Aug. 4, 2026

Texas agency portal that publishes a Public Search Audit and CSV download for searches performed over the prior 30 days.

Open source
Official Texas comparison portal

Midlothian TX PD Transparency Portal

Midlothian Police Department / Flock Safety · Verified Aug. 4, 2026

Texas agency portal that publishes a Public Search Audit for searches performed over the prior 30 days.

Open source
Official Texas comparison portal

Kemah TX PD Transparency Portal

Kemah Police Department / Flock Safety · Verified Aug. 4, 2026

Texas agency portal that publishes a Public Search Audit and CSV download for searches performed over the prior 30 days.

Open source
Official Texas comparison portal

Iowa Colony TX PD Transparency Portal

Iowa Colony Police Department / Flock Safety · Verified Aug. 4, 2026

Texas agency portal that publishes a Public Search Audit and CSV download for searches performed over the prior 30 days.

Open source
Official Texas comparison portal

Fair Oaks Ranch TX PD Transparency Portal

Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department / Flock Safety · Verified Aug. 4, 2026

Texas agency portal that publishes a Public Search Audit and CSV download even when its current search count is zero.

Open source
Official Texas comparison portal

Edinburg TX PD Transparency Portal

Edinburg Police Department / Flock Safety · Verified Aug. 4, 2026

Texas agency portal that publishes a Public Search Audit for searches performed over the prior 30 days.

Open source
Official Texas comparison portal

Denton TX PD Transparency Portal

Denton Police Department / Flock Safety · Verified Aug. 4, 2026

Texas agency portal that publishes a Public Search Audit and CSV download for searches performed over the prior 30 days.

Open source
City news release

Mountain View terminates ALPR contract

City of Mountain View · Feb. 25, 2026

Unanimous contract termination after cameras were disabled; the city announced physical removal as the next step.

Open source
City news release

Staunton confirms Flock contract termination

City of Staunton · Jan. 9, 2026

Contract termination was confirmed while physical camera removal had not yet been scheduled, showing why a removal commitment also needs a deadline.

Open source
City news release

Kaukauna does not renew Flock contract

City of Kaukauna · July 8, 2026

The city declined renewal and said it was working with Flock to deactivate and remove six readers.

Open source
Council agenda report

Columbia Heights service and contract cancellation

City of Columbia Heights · June 4, 2026

Staff proposed immediate service termination, formal non-renewal, remaining contract payments, disconnection, and removal of all 12 readers.

Open source
News report

Federal-access pilots paused

Associated Press · 2025

The federal-access pilot controversy, Illinois access finding, and pause.

Open source
News investigation

Border Patrol network investigation

Associated Press · 2025

Reported Border Patrol access and searches routed through some local agencies.

Open source
News report

Colorado false-match settlement

Associated Press · 2024

A wrong-state plate match, family detention, and $1.9 million settlement.

Open source
Advocacy report with records

Johnson County, Texas investigation

Electronic Frontier Foundation · Oct. 2025

An advocacy account of ALPR use in an abortion-related investigation; not a finding about Celina.

Open source
Crowdsourced map

DeFlock public map

DeFlock · Current map

A separate crowdsourced reference that is not Celina's official inventory.

Open source

Unanswered public questions

Important parts of Celina's program are still unclear.

  1. What has Celina actually paid after grants, and which renewal terms apply now?
  2. Where are the 41 readers added in the expansion?
  3. Which outside organizations searched Celina data, and how often?
  4. Which analytics, integrations, and vehicle-identification features are active?
  5. How many confirmed matches, false positives, stops, recoveries, complaints, and policy violations occurred?

Until the City answers those questions, the site labels them Not publicly confirmed rather than treating missing disclosure as proof.

Use the record

Use the evidence to start a public discussion.

Share the evidence and ask Council to address the unanswered questions in public.

Take action