Proposed bill would require TxDOT to record traffic cameras to help solve crimes on Texas highways

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Police could soon have TxDOT cameras as a new tool to solve crimes.

Daniel Wilson is pushing for a law that would require TxDOT cameras to record footage to help solve crimes on Texas highways after his daughter was killed in a road rage shooting in December 2023.

On Dec. 10, 2023, 17-year-old Louise Wilson was driving to the beach with her friends when she was gunned down by a driver in an act of road rage on the Pierce Elevated.

As police combed the freeway for evidence, there was one place they couldn't turn: a nearby TxDOT camera. The crime continues to shock the public's conscience years later.

On Wednesday, her father testified to the House Transportation Committee to support House Bill 2621, which would require TxDOT to archive traffic camera video for 30 days.

"That was the distance to the nearest TxDOT camera where my daughter drew her last breath, yet TxDOT could only watch as the killer's car drove by," the teenager's dad told lawmakers.

These traffic cameras are already set up on highways across the state for the public to live stream.

But, as of now, there's no record feature. So, in instances where it would be helpful for law enforcement to go back and look at the footage, it's not an option.

If passed, the bill would still let TxDOT keep those recordings from the public, even though the live feeds are publicly available.

However, they would be required to turn them over to law enforcement.

"Captured footage could be pivotal in solving cases, securing convictions and preventing further tragedies," Daniel Wilson said.

More than a year after Louise Wilson's death, with no arrests, her dad's convinced that traffic camera footage could've made a difference.

"No recording was captured, and crucial evidence was lost. To this day, her killers have not been brought to justice," he said. "HB 2621 is a necessary first step to confront the crime that has turned our roadways into killing fields. While current camera systems aren't designed for high-resolution evidence gathering, there is no reason why the footage cannot be recorded and made available to law enforcement."

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