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Dallas revises trash-truck camera enforcement after privacy and equity concerns
Dallas says it has expanded privacy blurring, will use less alarming language in violation notices and has dropped the term “blight score” from its camera-based code enforcement program. Council members are seeking stronger oversight as the city expands enforcement while repair aid for low-income homeowners remains limited.
Dallas is changing parts of its AI-assisted code enforcement program after residents and council members raised concerns about privacy, confusing notices and the effects on homeowners who may struggle to afford repairs.
At a Quality of Life Committee briefing Monday, the city and its contractor, City Detect, said images captured by cameras mounted on garbage trucks will now blur people’s bodies as well as their faces. The system scans homes for potential code violations, which city employees review before notices or citations are issued.
City Detect CEO Gavin Baum-Blake said the enhanced blurring obscures a person’s appearance, though clothing may still be visible. The images also include the date, time and location they were taken.
Councilmember Chad West questioned what checks and balances govern the program. Councilmember Bill Roth called for stronger protections for people captured in the images.
The city also plans to revise the “courtesy notices” sent to more than 3,000 homeowners whose properties were flagged by the cameras and then reviewed by staff. Officials said the notices are not citations and will not themselves trigger enforcement, despite language in the original version telling recipients to make repairs to avoid enforcement action. Some residents have received citations instead.
A revised notice will include a QR code linking to city information about housing assistance and home repair programs, Code Compliance Director Christopher Christian said. The city’s grant program for low-income homeowners seeking help with code-related repairs has been paused for about two years. At the briefing, officials suggested residents might instead be directed to nonprofit assistance.
West said the city had expanded code enforcement without putting enough support in place to help residents address violations. “We’ve rolled out a program that is greatly enhancing code’s reach and nothing to sort of mitigate that,” he said.
The city and City Detect have also replaced the term “blight score” with “image index.” The former label ranked flagged properties from 1 to 4 and was used internally to help prioritize locations for human review, officials said. Baum-Blake acknowledged the term was loaded.
Committee members said they would work on a plan for more regular oversight, audits and briefings. Councilmember Adam Bazaldua also urged the city to address violations on its own properties, including abandoned homes and lots where trash has been dumped, before intensifying enforcement against residents.