How do you get traffic camera footage in Dallas?

Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.

What TxDOT and the City of Dallas cameras record

The highway cameras belong to TxDOT. In April 2025, NBC DFW reported that “while TxDOT provides live video feeds, traffic cameras are not actively recorded.” The story was about Chris Murzin, shot while driving westbound on I-20 near the South Polk Street exit. The only lead on the suspect’s SUV came from a nearby business’s surveillance video.

A Texas House committee’s analysis of HB 2621 put it plainly: TxDOT maintains live video footage across 25 cities but does not maintain an archive. The bill, by Dallas Rep. Morgan Meyer, would have required TxDOT to keep a 30-day archive. It passed the House on May 10, 2025, and was referred to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee on May 19, 2025, which is the last action shown in the official bill history.

City streets are a different system. A city spokesperson told The Dallas Morning News in 2021 that the Dallas transportation and police departments have closed-circuit cameras that monitor traffic flow at intersections, watched as needed. To run the signals themselves, the city mainly relies on radar detectors. The story did not say whether those camera feeds are saved, so ask the city in writing.

How to ask Dallas agencies for records

The Texas Public Information Act requires prompt production. When records cannot be produced within 10 business days, section 552.221 has the officer certify that in writing and name a date and hour they will be available. An agency that wants to withhold records must ask the Attorney General for a ruling no later than the 10th business day after it receives the written request (section 552.301).

The City Secretary’s open records page asks for a written request with your name, address and phone number, plus enough detail for staff to find the records. If you don’t know which department has them, the city’s Open Records Center will route the request. Dallas police records go through the “Police Open Records and Crash Report Requests” section of the city’s Open Records Center. The city lists a separate police records line at (214) 671-3343.

Dallas police body cameras, dash cameras and 911 calls

A body camera request in Texas has three required pieces. Code of Criminal Procedure article 2B.0112, which took the place of Occupations Code 1701.661 on January 1, 2025, requires the date and approximate time of the recording, the specific location, and the name of one or more persons known to be a subject of it. The crash report usually lists the drivers, which helps with the third item. The same article generally keeps body camera video outside the Public Information Act unless it is or could be used as evidence in a criminal prosecution.

How long DPD keeps video has changed over time. A February 26, 2024 City Auditor report on DPD’s body-worn and in-car cameras says that after a 2022 internal review, DPD extended retention periods for all videos to delay their deletion. Video tied to a case is kept until the case is completed and its retention period has passed.

Video in an open criminal case is harder to get. Section 552.108 lets police withhold information whose release would interfere with the detection, investigation or prosecution of crime. Ask for the 911 audio and dispatch records in the same request as the video, with the same date, time and address.

Red-light cameras in Dallas

Dallas switched its red-light cameras off when the state ban arrived. A Dallas City Hall spokesman confirmed in June 2019 that the city’s 52 cameras had been turned off (The Dallas Morning News). TxDOT says that since June 2, 2019, under HB 1631, local authorities may not install or operate photographic traffic signal enforcement systems. Proof of a red light in Dallas now comes from witnesses, dashcams and business cameras.

DART buses, businesses and doorbell cameras

DART buses have carried cameras for years. In 2014, The Dallas Morning News reported that SmartDrive cameras on DART buses tagged a 30-second window when sensors detected fast stops or quick jerks, and that separate security cameras recorded passengers. Equipment may have changed since then, so ask DART what it has.

DART’s Public Information Act page says requests must be in writing and can go through its online portal, by mail, by fax or to a drop box at DART headquarters at 1401 Pacific Avenue. Emails sent to an individual employee or board member are not processed as requests. Give the route, direction and time of the bus. If a DART bus hit you, see our page on bus accident lawsuits.

The Murzin case shows why private cameras matter in Dallas: the business video was the lead. Visit stores, gas stations and apartment offices near the crash within a day or two. Ask the manager to save the clip, and leave a written note naming the camera, date and time and asking that it not be recorded over. Ask neighbors with doorbell cameras the same way.

Claims against the City of Dallas

If a city vehicle or a city street defect was involved, act fast. The city’s Notice of Claim form tells claimants to file within six months of the injury or damage, citing Chapter XXIII of the Dallas City Charter. State law ratifies city charter notice periods like this (Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 101.101).

Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou.

What this means for your case

In Dallas, the highway cameras are a dead end for saved video, so your effort belongs with DPD, DART and private owners. Send the records requests and preservation letters in the first days, and keep copies of every reply. If you were not at fault, read car accident not my fault: what to do. Our Texas injury attorneys handle the requests, and if your crash was in Houston, the steps there are on our Houston camera footage page.

Common questions

Related pages

Injury law FAQs

Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 7, 2026.