Police and prosecutor cite Flock alerts in theft, missing-person and violent-crime cases

Chief Couch and the Brazos County district attorney told the council that Flock ALPR alerts have materially aided investigations in College Station and the region.

The chief gave a string of examples in which vehicle descriptors or plate matches produced timely leads: aggravated-robbery suspects located after their vehicle was entered into the system, a missing person traced across state lines, and catalytic-converter thieves identified through patterning across cameras. "During that same period of time, we recovered 28 stolen cars," the chief said, noting those recoveries spared dozens of local victims.

District Attorney Jarvis Parsons told the council his office has used ALPR-derived leads in cases ranging from vehicle burglaries to a multi-jurisdictional burglary crew and in a capital-murder investigation outside of the city. Parsons said criminal statutes exist to prosecute misuse of official information, and that proven misuse would be pursued by his office.

Council takeaway: law-enforcement officials framed Flock as an investigative tool that produces case leads and can be shared across jurisdictions; the council asked staff to keep tracking performance metrics and to report any misuse promptly.