Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered all state agencies to pause funding for Flock cameras as scrutiny over the AI-powered surveillance devices has mounted.
The order came as The Texas Tribune was preparing to publish an investigation detailing how a state agency has devoted at least $30 million to building up the state’s Flock surveillance network by providing grants to local police departments.
“To the extent that cities get any funding for those cameras, most of it comes from the federal government. To the extent any funding comes from Texas agencies, those agencies are clarifying that those funds cannot be used for Flock cameras,” Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris said in a statement shared first with the Tribune.
The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority has helped state and local agencies install at least 3,200 Flock cameras since 2023. Almost 1,200 of cameras are being installed by the Department of Public Safety thanks to a three-year, $15.9 million contract with the authority.
The authority’s grants came from a 2023 law that added $1 to Texas auto insurance policies to combat rampant catalytic converter theft. Before the law passed unanimously in the House and Senate, there had been no discussion of using the money for Flock cameras and similar devices, lawmakers told the Tribune.
The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, led by a board mostly appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, has turned the $1 fee hike into at least 3,200 Flock cameras.
The agency has awarded no fewer than 95 grants to help law enforcement agencies purchase and maintain about 2,000 Flock cameras. Another $15.9 million is helping the Texas Department of Public Safety add almost 1,200 more.
The effort is far from over. In early August, the agency approved another $3 million to help DPS install 583 more cameras along Texas tollways over the next year.
Miguel Rodriguez, chair of the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, said during an August 2023 meeting that he hoped to use proceeds from the fee increase to “cover the entire state” with cameras.
Flock cameras are a unique type of license plate reader that utilize artificial intelligence to track and store data on vehicle characteristics including the make, model and color. Departments that use Flock cameras can allow other agencies to access their devices, creating a massive nationwide network.
In a radio interview, Abbott described a “crackdown” happening across Texas as cities and counties have begun canceling contracts with the Flock Safety surveillance company as residents have raised privacy concerns.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Gina Hinojosa released an ad blaming Abbott for the spread of Flock cameras across the state, calling the devices a method of “warrantless surveillance.”
Lawmakers from both parties have begun raising concerns about the broad scale of Flock’s network and the amount of data each camera captures. Law enforcement agencies that opt into Flock’s national lookup program can search each other’s data from anywhere in the country.
Republican U.S. Rep. Keith Self proposed legislation to require federal agencies to obtain warrants before accessing Flock camera data. He said in a news release that the bill would restore privacy rights.
“Americans’ Fourth Amendment right to be secure in their privacy does not disappear just because of new technology or artificial intelligence,” Self said.