BAYTOWN, Texas - The Baytown Police Department has launched both an internal affairs investigation and a criminal investigation after receiving allegations that one of its officers misused the department's Flock Safety license plate reader system.

Police Chief John Stringer announced the investigations in a video message and Facebook post, saying the department is taking the allegations seriously and has requested outside assistance to ensure transparency.

According to the chief, he has authorized an internal affairs investigation into potential policy violations, as well as a separate criminal investigation into whether any laws were broken.