Manvel Police Department is defending its use of Flock Safety license plate readers after Mayor Dan Davis called for the city to end its contract with the company, though the department acknowledged the mayor’s concerns about privacy, cybersecurity, and data sharing are legitimate.
“MPD supports the responsible use of technology when it helps our officers investigate crime and protect the community,” according to a statement from the department. “At the same time, we understand the concerns that can come with this type of technology, particularly when it comes to privacy, access, data sharing and accountability.”
Davis first raised his concerns in a pair of Facebook posts last Friday and Saturday, writing that after “a great deal of research, conversations, and reflection,” he could no longer support continued use of the Flock system in Manvel. He said his objection is not to license plate readers as a tool, but to Flock as a company, citing data use and sharing practices, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and the broader network the cameras plug into.
Davis said he asked a Flock representative specific questions about hardware security vulnerabilities and did not receive an answer.
The Manvel Police Department entered into a four-year, $137,000 contract with Flock Safety in 2024 for 21 cameras, according to Davis. The department currently operates 16 of those cameras, which are license plate readers only and do not provide live video.
Police say the system helps identify stolen or wanted vehicles and develop leads from incomplete information, such as a partial plate number.
During a recent audit period, from July 19 through August 18, department personnel conducted 138 searches in the system, all of which were reviewed with no indication of intentional misuse found.
The department said it recently reduced the number of outside agencies it shares camera data with by 149 networks, and now shares data only with law enforcement in Texas and Louisiana. Data retention is currently set at 30 days unless information becomes relevant to an active investigation.
The department noted that broader questions about Flock’s corporate cybersecurity practices and contract terms are ultimately decisions for the city council, not the police department.
Davis also raised concerns about Flock’s Nova product, which the company has said draws from records management systems, jail systems, license plate readers, and open-source information, and public records. He noted that even if Manvel does not use Nova itself, other agencies could pull from Manvel’s data for it.
A council poll Davis posted showed 66 percent of respondents favored discontinuing the cameras, while 21 percent favored keeping them. Council members Garrett Knox and Harry Oplinger have both said they support putting the issue on the agenda, with Knox saying he has no objection to removing the cameras.
The Manvel debate also comes as Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to pause funding for Flock cameras statewide, a move that followed reporting that a Texas agency had spent an estimated $30 million on grants used for the technology. “To the extent any funding comes from Texas agencies, those agencies are clarifying that those funds cannot be used for Flock cameras,” Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said.
Abbott told Glenn Beck in a recent interview that Flock cameras “are being reduced dramatically and they’re going to be required to be used responsibly if they’re used at all.”
There’s also been a wave of scrutiny of Flock across Texas.
More than 50 agencies nationwide have canceled, suspended, or rejected Flock contracts since the start of the year, and The Washington Post reported this month on nearly 50 cases of officers accused of misusing the cameras to track current or former romantic partners.
Closer to home, the Conroe City Council recently rejected a proposal to let residents decide the fate of its Flock program by ballot, while League City’s council voted unanimously to place a nonbinding referendum on the November ballot asking voters whether the police department should continue using the cameras.
The Flock camera system will be on the agenda for the Manvel City Council September 8 meeting.
