Midland City Council members voted unanimously this week to end its contract with Flock Safety and remove its 73 cameras.
Mayor Lori Blong and the city council voted 7-0 to terminate the Flock contract. The council had just approved a two-year $451,000 contract extension with Flock in February.
However, residents and city leaders expressed concerns about data privacy, operational costs, and misuse.
Flock cameras capture details such as the make and model of a passing vehicle as well as any unique or identifying features. Police departments are able to access data from Flock without a warrant, which has raised concerns among citizens about potential Fourth Amendment violations.
On Tuesday, the council reconsidered the contract and instructed the city manager to issue a 60-day termination notice to Flock Safety. The contract allows such a termination.
According to the council’s resolution, ending the contract will save the city $225,000, the cost of the full second year of the agreement.
Flock Safety will dismantle the city’s network of 71 fixed cameras and two portable units for no additional cost, although a timeline for physical removal has not yet been announced.
Midland’s contract termination will only remove Flock cameras belonging to the city itself. According to DeFlock, there are 155 automated license plate readers in Midland. Other sources that could own Flock cameras in the area include businesses, HOAs, and Midland County.
The Midland County Sheriff’s Office had 36 Flock cameras as of June 2025, according to Atlas of Surveillance.
The contract termination also does not include the city’s contracts with other ALPR companies.
According to Industry Insider, Midland renewed a five-year contract worth $4.165 million with Axon back in 2024. Ending in 2029, the contract includes ALPRs, video cloud storage, body cameras, and dashcams.
Midland’s Flock contract termination comes amid local and statewide backlash against ALPRs.
Several local governments have ended contracts with Flock in the past months. Other city councils such as Amarillo have reviewed ALPR usage after alleged misuse of the technology.
In August, Gov. Greg Abbott paused state funding for Flock cameras, and in September he directed the Texas Department of Transportation to stop issuing new permits for Flock cameras and other ALPRs on state-owned roads.
This week, Comptroller Don Huffines banned grant funds his office administers from being used for Flock cameras and other ALPRs.
Texas lawmakers are expected to consider potential regulations for Flock and other ALPR systems during the next legislative session, which begins January 12.
