AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin City Council is preparing to vote on a proposed $2 million contract for artificial intelligence-powered surveillance in city parks, while also considering new rules intended to strengthen oversight of such technology.
Council members are scheduled to discuss the three-year agreement with LiveView Technologies during a work session before holding a formal vote on Thursday. The contract would fund mobile security trailers and monitoring services designed to help deter crime in public parks.
Austin Parks and Recreation previously tested the trailers in a 2023 pilot program. According to department data, the initiative contributed to a decline in theft and other criminal activity in participating parks.
LiveView Technologies said the city would retain ownership of all data collected under the agreement, with access limited to authorized city personnel and the Austin Police Department. The company added that information would be stored on a U.S.-based cloud server and permanently deleted after 60 days. Officials also said the system would not use facial recognition, and license plates would be redacted unless tied to property crime investigations.
At the same time, several council members have introduced the Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology (TRUST) Act, an ordinance aimed at regulating the deployment of surveillance tools across city departments.
The proposal would require departments to obtain council approval before acquiring new surveillance technology or entering agreements with third parties to share related data. It also calls for a ban on facial recognition features and mandates that the city manager submit an annual surveillance report to the council.
Mayor Pro Tem Chito Vela said the measure is intended to promote transparency and protect residents’ privacy while allowing the city to use technology to support public safety.
“Surveillance technology can be an important tool for public safety,” Vela said in a statement. “But as these technologies become more powerful and pervasive, the city has a responsibility to be transparent, accountable and clear about how they’re used, who has access to the data and how residents’ rights are protected.”
Council members Mike Siegel, Vanessa Fuentes, Krista Laine and José Velásquez are sponsoring the ordinance, which is also expected to come to a vote during Thursday’s meeting. Members of the public may provide comments before the council makes its decision.
