Taylor City officials announced Monday that the city’s contract with Flock Safety has been terminated.
Taylor has maintained eight Flock automated license plate readers (ALPRs) on State Highway 79 and State Highway 95 since late 2023.
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.
The cameras in Taylor have now been disabled and will be removed in the coming days.
The city reported that the intent behind purchasing the cameras was to help solve crime through access to the Flock database.
However, the Taylor Police Department’s analysis of the usage of Flock cameras and the database revealed that “the frequency of use is far less than anticipated and their usefulness has not been realized in solving crimes.”
Other issues included concerns about data security and dissatisfaction with Flock Safety’s protection measures.
“With the recent loss in confidence in the Flock Safety program, its discontinued use in other departments and the lack of benefit to our community, we do not believe it is worth continuing our agreement with Flock,” Police Chief Joseph Chacon said. “We may revisit the use of automated license plate readers in the future should data security concerns be addressed.”
Taylor’s termination of its Flock Safety contract follows a wave of similar ALPR contract terminations in Texas.
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, whose jurisdiction includes Taylor, terminated its contract with Flock in August.
Several other cities have ended Flock Safety contracts recently, including Sherman and Midland.
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.
In October, 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.
