The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office will use artificial intelligence tools to help investigate online child exploitation, part of a growing trend across North Texas law enforcement agencies turning to technology to manage increasingly complex cases.
The agreement approved by Tarrant County commissioners, gives the sheriff's office access to two AI platforms — Gracie and Transaction Intercept — developed by Street Grace, a nonprofit organization that works with law enforcement nationwide. The group also has backing from Microsoft.
According to the agreement between Tarrant County and Street Grace, the tools analyze publicly available online data to identify patterns that may be linked to child exploitation and trafficking. Officials say the software is meant to help investigators sift through large volumes of information more efficiently, not replace traditional police work.
The use of AI in law enforcement has grown in recent years. Dallas Police already uses a facial recognition software to assist investigators in felony cases. Meanwhile, Fort Worth police have been using automatic license plate reader software to identify wanted vehicles.
Howard Williams, a criminal justice professor at Texas State University and former police chief, said he believed relying solely on AI-generated findings would not hold up in court.
"Just because the computer told you so is seldom sufficient reason," he said. "You've still got to go out and find witnesses to verify it, find documents, find supporting evidence. Without that, you're not going to have a sufficient case."
That distinction mirrors how prosecutors and law enforcement have historically treated new technology, according to Williams.
"New technologies, as they come along, create good investigative leads for us that can occasionally be used as evidence per se,” Williams said. "But just like with any new technology, they may point to something for us, but we still have to kind of go out and verify that in the real world to be able to prove a case."
During its Jan. 7 commissioners court meeting, during which the agreement was approved, county officials emphasized the software relies only on open-source intelligence and does not access or store county data.
The sheriff’s office also said the tools would be used primarily as a deterrent, flagging potentially harmful behavior online and directing individuals to resources, rather than automatically generating criminal cases.
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office declined an interview to discuss the software.
The deal also includes a non-disclosure agreement between the company and the sheriff’s office that requires the office to appeal any public information requests about the platforms that may reveal “proprietary information.”
According to the NDA, the company considers all information about Gracie and Transaction Intercept to be proprietary, including, “information regarding how and by whom these platforms and components are used.”
But, as Williams explains, that sweeping claim of confidentiality could face limits under Texas public record law.
"The attorney general is going to have to probably make some rulings on that," Williams said. "Somebody's going ask for that information. Whether they get it, that will be up to the attorney general."
Commissioner Alisa Simmons, who voted against the agreement, said she supports efforts to protect children but raised concerns about oversight, transparency and how new technology is introduced into the criminal justice system.
"Our responsibility is always to balance public safety with constitutional protection," Simmons said. "In this case, protecting children from exploitation is one of the most serious duties any government has, but that obligation does not cancel our responsibility to protect civil liberties."
Simmons said she was also uneasy about approving a platform that had not gone through a competitive bidding process or been evaluated alongside similar tools.
"I take child exploitation very seriously," Simmons said. "At the same time, I want to make sure we are protecting people from false identification and unintended consequences."
Williams said concerns about civil liability are realistic whenever new technology is introduced into policing, though lawsuits alone are unlikely to stop agencies from adopting Al tools.
The larger question is not whether lawsuits will be filed, but how courts ultimately define acceptable use, he said.
"Whether you can win is another issue," he said. "At some point, I'm sure the courts are going to step in and define limits."
Experts say versions of software aimed at reducing workloads have been used in law enforcement for years.
Tools that analyze data, look for trends, or help connect information have long been part of police work, according to Corey Clark, an associate professor of computer science at Southern Methodist University and deputy director of research at SMU Guildhall. What has changed more recently is how visible and interactive AI has become.
"When people hear the word ‘AI’ today, they're thinking a lot about large language models and chatbots," Clark said. "But finding a route on GPS is AI, and people use that every day as well."
Clark said one of the main reasons agencies are turning to Al tools is the sheer amount of information investigators are expected to handle.
“We met with the North Texas Trafficking Task Force, and they talked about one of their case files having something like 70,000 pages of documents," Clark said. "How would you expect somebody to manually go through 70,000 pages of information? That starts to become an intractable problem, and that's just one case."
Public opinion may shape what tools are used as AI becomes more common. Clark said public perception will play a role in how openly law enforcement agencies adopt certain technologies.
"If there is a negative connotation being presented in the public space, that will probably stop standalone, larger-scale AI packages from being deployed," he said. "But AI integration isn't going to stop."
County officials say the goal of the agreement is to give investigators another tool to help protect children, while still relying on human judgment.
For now, the county says the AI platforms will be used as an investigative aid, not a substitute for traditional policing, as the region continues to navigate how technology fits into public safety.
As law enforcement agencies across North Texas continue to explore AI tools, experts say transparency and clear limits will be critical to maintaining public trust.
"There are a lot of big opportunities," Clark said. "If we want to keep people safe, children safe, we need systems that are highly adaptive and automated."
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel at erivas@kera.org.
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