Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to pause all funding for Flock license plate reader cameras in response to questions about the creation of a statewide surveillance network.
A spokesperson for the Republican governor, Andrew Mahaleris, confirmed the order in a statement to The Texas Tribune as the outlet was preparing to publish an investigation into the spread of Flock cameras across the state.
“To the extent that cities get any funding for those cameras, most of it comes from the federal government,” Mahaleris said. “To the extent any funding comes from Texas agencies, those agencies are clarifying that those funds cannot be used for Flock cameras.”
The Texas Tribune investigation discovered that the state’s Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority had set aside at least $30 million for the surveillance technology. The money, awarded to state and local agencies in the form of grants, has been used to purchase and maintain about 2,000 Flock cameras. Another $15.9 million, the Tribune found, allowed the Texas Department of Public Safety to install nearly 1,200 more.
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The funding was made possible thanks to a 2023 law that added a $1 fee to Texas auto insurance policies. The law was touted as a way to combat catalytic converter theft, with no mention of license plate readers.
Flock abuses growing
Abbott addressed the issue during a Friday radio interview with conservative commentator Glenn Beck, in which the governor highlighted the growing pushback against Flock cameras. Abbott specifically mentioned a Lufkin police officer who is facing 100 counts of misusing public information after he was accused of using the cameras to stalk 11 people. The case is just one of dozens in which law enforcement officers have been accused or charged with misusing the technology for personal reasons.
“This is something that is easily containable, easily controllable, and we’re ensuring that whether it be through criminal crackdowns, whether it be through cancellation of contracts, whatever the case may be, Flock cameras are being reduced dramatically,” Abbott said. “They’re going to be required to be used responsibly if they’re used at all.”
Flock earlier this month announced what it described as new guardrails intended to address concerns over privacy and abuses by law enforcement. The changes included a new data retention policy, designed to limit how long a person’s information can be stored, and an auditing system designed to track how the technology is being used. Critics on both the left and right argue that the changes have no teeth and represent little more than a publicity stunt.
According to Deflock.org, which maps out the locations of license plate reader cameras across the country, at least 153 cities have rejected Flock’s cameras.
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