Local & State
Flock camera backlash spreads as states and cities cancel or pause surveillance contracts
PN Team • 2 months ago
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered a halt to all state funding for Flock Safety license-plate cameras, escalating a national backlash against the surveillance network. His office said state agencies are clarifying that funds cannot be used for Flock cameras, a decision that came as the Texas Tribune prepared an investigation into a 2023 legislative auto-insurance fee hike that funded roughly 3,200 Flock cameras statewide. The move follows vandalism of Houston-area cameras, an indicted Lufkin officer accused of misusing Flock data on 100 counts, and the arrest of a former Katy officer accused of using the data to stalk his ex-wife. League City recently became the first Texas city to put its Flock contract to a public vote.
The Texas action joins a growing list of jurisdictions curbing Flock use, including Tempe, St. Paul, Grand Rapids, Summit County and multiple Minnesota and Iowa cities, amid Sen. Josh Hawley's Senate investigation into the roughly 120,000-camera network. Flock has added privacy safeguards, including shorter video retention and suspicious-search detection, while defending the technology as a key public safety tool amid ongoing misuse and data-sharing concerns.
Sources:
Sentiment
- Houston Houston-area cameras were vandalized, associating the city with backlash and unrest over surveillance.
- Greg Abbott Abbott is portrayed as taking decisive action to halt state funding amid surveillance concerns, a move likely to be seen as protecting privacy.
- Texas Texas is central to the controversy, with funding halted amid scandals and misuse allegations tied to Flock cameras statewide.
- Minnesota Multiple Minnesota cities are mentioned as curbing Flock camera use, a neutral-to-mild factual reference.