Texas Cities Keep Dropping Flock Cameras As Statewide Privacy Backlash Grows - Dallas Express

The review covers 18 cities and five counties. Seventeen governments ended or declined their agreements outright, while six suspended, disabled, or reduced existing networks. The count does not include school districts, private camera networks, rejected first-time proposals, or governments that only paused future expansion.

The retreat picked up speed after Governor Greg Abbott froze state-agency spending on Flock cameras on August 27, cutting off state funding and halting future installations. Flock Safety cameras are automated license plate readers that log vehicle movement and share data with law enforcement. Critics argue the technology amounts to mass surveillance of people who have done nothing wrong.

For folks in Lubbock, this is worth watching closely. The city has its own relationship with license plate reader technology, and the statewide backlash raises real questions about who can access that data, how long it is stored, and what oversight exists. If neighboring cities and counties are walking away from these contracts, Lubbock residents have reason to ask whether local officials are asking the same questions.

Twenty-three governments pulling back represents a significant shift in how Texas communities are weighing public safety tools against personal privacy in a very short window of time.