Program Description

After collaborating with local law enforcement, The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) staff realized the necessary tools were not in place to conduct everyday on-road enforcement of stolen, improperly issued and fictitious and/or counterfeit inspection certificates; nor did law enforcement officers have a way to detect State vehicle inspection stations from performing improper inspections. In order to address these issues, NCTCOG coordinated with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to develop the NCTCOG Emissions Database (NED), an internet-based, password-protected database which contains over 60 million records of all emissions inspections conducted in Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Ft. Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, and Williamson Counties since May 1, 2002.  Inspection records are updated on a weekly basis with data from TCEQ and are available to law enforcement officers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

NCTCOG offers free access to the Database for all law enforcement agencies. An Access Agreement between the agency and NCTCOG is required before access will be granted.  Agencies can sign up for free training classes at the Regional Police Academy or host training sessions that cover what is contained in the Database and how to use and interpret the data.

Law enforcement officers use NED to easily check the validity of inspection certificates by performing a search of the license plate, vehicle identification number (VIN) or inspection certificate number. NED also helps support the AirCheckTexas Drive a Clean Machine Program and provides NCTCOG staff with valuable information for research.

The overwhelming response to NED by various agencies has resulted in an unprecedented level of increased emissions enforcement for our region. NCTCOG continues to receive new inquiries on a daily basis from law enforcement agencies requesting access to NED. Out of region Metropolitan Planning Organizations and their law enforcement agencies are also in contact with NCTCOG to develop enforcement programs in the other nonattainment regions in the State of Texas.  Agencies outside the North Central Texas region may contact any staff member listed below for more information on the Database and Programs associated with NED.

Staff

Shannon Stevenson, Program Manager                               (817) 608-2304
Amanda Brimmer, Senior Transportation Planner              (817) 608-2354
Richard McComb, Air Quality Operations Analyst III            (817) 608-2340
Russell Garner, Air Quality Operations Analyst II                 (817) 704-2508