Beyond the 806
Lawmakers added $1 to Texans’ car insurance policies. That money paid for thousands of Flock cameras.
A $1 fee tacked onto every Texas auto insurance policy in 2023 to fight catalytic converter theft has quietly bankrolled a statewide surveillance expansion, with at least $30 million flowing to Flock camera networks across the state, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, a little-known state agency whose board is mostly appointed by Gov.
The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, a little-known state agency whose board is mostly appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, used that money to place at least 3,200 Flock cameras along highways and streets from El Paso to the Louisiana border. The agency awarded no fewer than 95 grants helping law enforcement agencies purchase and maintain about 2,000 of those cameras. Another $15.9 million went to the Texas Department of Public Safety to add nearly 1,200 more.
For people in Lubbock, that likely means Flock cameras are closer than you think. The grant program covers local law enforcement agencies statewide, so departments across the South Plains had access to the same funding. Whether any of that money landed here is worth asking your local officials directly.
Some state lawmakers say this is not what they voted for. They passed the fee increase to go after catalytic converter thieves, not to build out a broad license plate surveillance grid. Three years later, the agency spent the money anyway, and the cameras are already up.
Common questions
Why is there a $1 fee on my Texas car insurance?
- Texas added a $1 fee to every auto insurance policy in 2023 to fight catalytic converter theft. That money goes to the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, which has used at least $30 million of it to fund Flock safety camera networks across the state.
Who decided where these cameras got placed in Texas?
- The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, a state agency with a board mostly appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, made those decisions. The agency issued at least 95 grants to law enforcement agencies and sent $15.9 million to the Texas Department of Public Safety for nearly 1,200 additional cameras.
Stay in the loop
Weekly Lubbock news, deals, and events. Free.
Read next
DOJ charges ICE officer who shot immigrant in Minnesota with lying to investigators - CBS News
At state education board, Texans debate how Islam should be portrayed in high school history classes - Community Impact
JD Vance reacts to airstrike that killed four at Iran wedding: ‘Things happen’ - The Guardian