The Amarillo Police Department is tightening its rules for Flock cameras following the termination and arrest of a former officer accused of using the technology to repeatedly track a man.
Police Chief Thomas Hover presented the changes to the Amarillo City Council on Tuesday as council members questioned how the department uses automatic license plate readers, who can access the data and whether additional independent oversight is needed.
Under the new policies, APD is reducing the amount of time Flock license plate data is retained from 30 days to seven days. Supervisors will also be required to conduct random monthly audits of officers’ searches and review searches flagged by Flock’s artificial intelligence auditing system within three days.
The changes follow the case involving former Amarillo police Officer Christian Eder, who was fired July 17 for what APD described as inappropriate use of department resources. Court records allege Eder searched one man’s license plate through Flock 76 times over a five-month period and used another law enforcement database twice.
Former officer accused of misusing Flock
Eder was charged Aug. 31 with 78 counts of tampering with a government record and surrendered to the Potter County Jail the following day.
APD initially learned of the alleged misuse after receiving a complaint. Hover said Flock’s newer AI auditing system later flagged the same activity while reviewing previous searches.
The system can flag activity when an officer searches the same license plate multiple times for different reasons or repeatedly searches a plate within a short period.
Hover said the case gave the department an opportunity to examine its policies and strengthen safeguards.
“We all learn lessons from anything that we’re doing and any opportunity for us to review policy to tighten that policy up, to bring it up to speed where it ought to be,” Hover said. “Technology, as is mentioned before, is changing and I think you’re seeing there’s always going to be a lag time for us to catch up to some of these issues. But yeah, I do believe it’s going to decrease the amount of time it takes us to recognize those improper searches.”
Hover also stressed that officers who misuse law enforcement technology can be held accountable.
“But there is a physical law in place. And when they misuse that equipment, there is a law that says you’re going to be held accountable for your actions,” Hover said. “And everyone should be held accountable regardless of their stature. Whether they wear a badge or not.”
In addition to the new auditing requirements and shorter data retention period, APD is limiting the sharing of Amarillo’s Flock data to law enforcement agencies in Texas.
Live viewing of body-worn cameras will also be restricted to supervisors and the Amarillo Regional Crime Center.
Council raises questions about oversight
Much of Tuesday’s discussion centered on whether APD’s internal safeguards are enough to prevent future misuse.
Councilman Les Simpson said the value of the technology is not the only question the city needs to consider.
“The issue is not whether the technology has value. It clearly does,” Simpson said. “The issue is whether government can be trusted to police its own use of the technology without independent oversight.”
Simpson asked the city to explore whether an independent third party could audit law enforcement’s use of the technology.
He also suggested developing a citywide camera policy with standards that technology used by the city would be required to meet. Cameras that meet those standards could remain, while those that do not could be eliminated.
Questions were also raised about who can access Amarillo’s Flock data. Although APD has limited its sharing to Texas law enforcement agencies, authorized agencies can still search Amarillo’s Flock records.
Stanley says removing cameras is an option
Mayor Cole Stanley said the city should be willing to replace Flock if another technology can provide law enforcement benefits while doing a better job of protecting residents’ privacy.
“Yes, I would consider that,” Stanley said when asked about removing the cameras. “If we can go out and find a technology that’s safer, for the protection of privacy for our citizens, then we will always make that substitution. So I’d say no contracts are safe. I would say that anything that we’re looking at, everything’s up for discussion.”
Stanley also raised several possibilities for strengthening oversight without abandoning the technology.
Those ideas included creating a council-appointed oversight committee consisting of active, retired or reserve law enforcement officers along with members of the public. The city could also explore making certain camera feeds available online, similar to TxDOT traffic cameras, and verify who can access information stored on Flock’s servers.
Stanley said the larger discussion is about finding the right balance between public safety and privacy.
“I think that the use of technology balanced with privacy and knowing what is public and what is not is important,” Stanley said. “That’s the discussion that’s at hand. Nobody wants to take anything away from being able to protect our community and we do see benefits in that technology. However, we also can recognize that it can be weaponized.”
APD points to public safety benefits
Hover told the council that removing Flock cameras could make some police investigations take longer.
APD also presented figures showing how the technology has been used in criminal investigations.
During the past 18 months, Hover said Flock cameras have helped Amarillo police recover 251 stolen vehicles, make 915 arrests, locate 44 missing people and recover approximately $2.7 million in stolen property.
Those arrests included 12 murder suspects in 2026.
The numbers illustrate the challenge facing city leaders as they consider what comes next: preserving a tool police say has helped solve crimes while addressing concerns about how easily the same technology can be misused.
Hover recommended using the city’s advisory board focused on digital dignity, rights and privacy to further evaluate concerns and consider additional policy recommendations. The board could also look at ways to improve public education about how the city uses the technology.
Stanley said discussions over the cameras and related policies will continue, with city staff and APD expected to spend the next several weeks developing recommendations before bringing the issue back to the council.
The mayor also expressed support for independent oversight and regular reporting showing how the technology is being used.
