Bastrop City Council unanimously voted to cover its Flock Safety cameras this week, while the council weighs terminating its contract with the company at its next meeting.
The vote Tuesday places the city of Bastrop in a small group of local governments in Texas opting out of a contract with the automated license plate reader (ALPR) company.
According to reporting, Bastrop Mayor Ishmael Harris weighed the pros and cons of the cameras.
“I believe that [ALPRs] can be a valuable tool for law enforcement,” said Harris. “I don’t dismiss that value, and I don’t dismiss our residents who want our officers to have reasonable tools available to them to help fight crime.”
“But public safety isn’t our only responsibility. Public trust is as well. So, I do not support collecting information involving our residents if we cannot give them the satisfaction of knowing where that information can go, who can access it, who it may be shared with, and ultimately who may use it,” added Harris.
Flock’s automated license plate readers use AI to scan license plates and save information about a vehicle, such as make, model, color, and other identifiers like cosmetic damage or bumper stickers. Law enforcement officers can access Flock’s database without a warrant, raising concerns over the potential violations of citizens’ Fourth Amendment rights.
Councilmember Cynthia Meyer motioned for the council to vote on possibly ending the Flock contract at the next council meeting, but covering the cameras in the meantime.
The decision was praised by Bastrop locals, with one resident stating that the “data exposure was a little bit above and beyond what many of us thought” and that she wanted “to thank [the council] for taking action quickly.”
Bastrop joins a growing number of Texas localities that have either rejected, cancelled, or deactivated their Flock contracts or cameras.
In nearby Elgin, the police department is pausing its use of the cameras, while the Robinson City Council in McLennan County unanimously decided not to renew its contract with Flock.
Following the Pflugerville City Council’s unanimous decision to deactivate the city’s Flock cameras last week, Pflugerville ISD followed suit, notifying parents of its decision to suspend use of the cameras on district property.
“We understand this technology has raised questions and concerns within our community, and we have listened,” said a Pflugerville ISD spokesperson.
Hood County recently decommissioned its three Flock cameras following significant backlash over concerns of mass surveillance and potential Fourth Amendment violations.
The decision comes as Gov. Greg Abbott recently issued a pause on all state funding for Flock cameras. A recent report noted that Texas’ Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority has allocated at least $30 million from a fee on auto insurers to strengthen the Flock network in the state.
The backlash against Flock is not isolated to a few counties. A recent Overton Insights poll showed that over 63 percent of Texans opposed Flock cameras, with 51 percent stating they “strongly opposed” the technology.
Texas lawmakers are expected to evaluate potential guardrails for the technology in the upcoming legislative session.
