No Warrant, No Camera. HB 847 Puts Plate Readers on a Leash.

You drive to work. You drive to church. You drive to the feed store. Right now a camera on a pole can log every one of those trips. HB 847 says police need a warrant before they look.

Plain English

On November 9, 2026, the first day of bill filing for the next session, Rep. Brian Harrison filed HB 847. The caption: "Relating to the use of automatic license plate readers by a law enforcement agency." (FACT, Texas Legislature Online)

Here is what the bill says, line by line. (FACT, bill text, new Transportation Code Sec. 750.004)

A law enforcement agency could use a license plate reader only as authorized by a warrant or court order.

The images and data could be used only to investigate a violent offense, as Texas law already defines that term in the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Everything else gets destroyed promptly after it is collected. The only data kept is from a vehicle involved in one of those violent offenses, or registered to a person involved in one.

An agency could not hand that data to anybody else, except for a purpose the bill already allows.

Every agency that uses the readers would have to adopt a written policy, count how many plates it scanned each year, count how many scans led to an arrest or prosecution, and post both the policy and the report on its public website every year.

If it passes, it takes effect September 1, 2027.

Why It Matters

This fight is already happening in Texas. The bill just puts it in black and white.

In late August, Gov. Greg Abbott paused state money for Flock cameras, and he later told TxDOT to pause installs on state roads. The Texas Tribune counted at least 14 cities and counties that shut off more than 900 Flock cameras after the funding was pulled. It cited an estimate of about 13,000 Flock cameras across Texas. (DOCUMENTED INFERENCE, Texas Tribune via Salon, Sept. 28, 2026)

On October 14, Fox 26 reported that Comptroller Don Huffines signed an order barring state grant money from buying plate readers or renewing contracts for them. He was quoted saying, "The government has no business tracking where law-abiding Texans drive." (DOCUMENTED INFERENCE, Fox 26 Houston)

Here at home, Tyler police defended their cameras in August. KLTV reported the department runs nine Flock cameras, keeps images 30 days unless they become evidence, and has listed the cameras in 75 police reports since January 1. Chief Jimmy Toler said, "We don't live in a surveillance state." (DOCUMENTED INFERENCE, KLTV, Aug. 13, 2026)

The same report said most plate readers in Tyler are privately owned by HOAs and businesses. HB 847 is written for law enforcement agencies. On my reading, it does not reach those private cameras directly. (DOCUMENTED INFERENCE, my read of the bill text)

The Receipt

• Bill history, HB 847, 90th Legislature: capitol.texas.gov
• Bill text as filed (PDF): HB00847I.pdf
• Reporting: Texas Tribune, Fox 26 Houston, KLTV, linked above.

What Ryan Says

I am a Marine. I swore an oath to the Constitution. The Fourth Amendment is in it.

The Fourth Amendment does not say "unless the camera is cheap now."

I respect the officers in Tyler. I believe the chief when he says nobody wants to track your grocery run. But the rule cannot be "trust us." The rule has to be written down.

Here is what I like in HB 847. Get a warrant. Keep it to violent crime. Delete the rest. Do not sell it or pass it around. Count it and post the count.

That last part matters most to me. Show me the evidence. If these cameras solve violent crime, the yearly report will prove it, and the cameras will earn their keep in the open.

Here is my question for the author. A stolen truck or a missing grandmother is not always a violent offense. Does the bill leave room for that? I want that answered in committee, on the record.

Same Constitution in Tyler as in Austin. Same rule for every badge.

What This Does Not Prove

It does not prove any Texas agency has misused plate reader data. Nothing in this article shows that.

It does not prove the cameras do or do not cut crime. Police credit them. Critics doubt them. Neither side has handed the public a yearly count, which is exactly what this bill would require.

It does not prove HB 847 will pass. It was filed today. It has no committee, no hearing and no vote yet.

What It Does Prove

A sitting Texas House member put a warrant rule for plate readers in writing on day one of filing. (FACT)

The bill would make every agency that uses them post its policy and its numbers online. (FACT)

The state already pulled grant money from these cameras this year. Now the question goes to the Legislature. (DOCUMENTED INFERENCE)

The Bottom Line

Cameras do not get a pass on the Constitution.

Get a warrant. Keep the data for violent crime. Delete the rest. Post the numbers.

The record does not lie. Let the numbers talk.

Do not threaten anyone. Do not harass anyone. Do not contact anyone in my name. Read it. Share it. Send receipts, evidence, witnesses. Put eyes on the record.