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DALLAS - The Dallas City Council has approved the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled cameras on brush and bulky trash collection trucks, giving the City new tools to combat illegal dumping, improve neighborhood cleanliness, code compliance and enhance sanitation collection service efficiency. Dallas is the largest city in the nation to employ this technology.
As brush trucks run their normal routes, side-mounted cameras will periodically take still photos of the curb line visible from the public right-of-way. To maximize privacy, the cameras blur both faces and license plates. The images will be analyzed using computer vision technology to identify visible conditions such as debris piles, illegal dumping, and bulk trash participation, all from the public right-of-way.
“This innovative technology delivers responsive solutions that all our residents deserve to keep our neighborhoods clean and safe,” said City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. “It is a smart-city approach to an everyday challenge.”
For the Dallas Sanitation Department, this will improve performance by giving city staff accurate monthly data for route optimization, reduce unnecessary mileage, and better match staffing to demand. For Code Compliance, this technology will provide a citywide picture of visible property conditions, allowing inspectors to focus on the highest-impact locations instead of spending time driving around to look for issues.
The three-year AI camera contract is an estimated $2,556,000, subject to annual City Council appropriations. The contract includes the cost of camera purchase, installation, maintenance, warranty, and replacement support. The cameras will be deployed by Spring of 2026.
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