Texas Gov. Abbott orders state agencies to halt funding for Flock cameras

AUSTIN, Texas - Gov. Greg Abbott ordered Texas state agencies to pause funding for Flock Safety cameras, the AI-powered license plate readers that have spread across highways and city streets, Fox News and the Texas Tribune reported Friday.

Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said most Flock cameras in Texas are used by cities and that cities are increasingly canceling contracts. He said that to the extent Texas agencies provide funding, those agencies are clarifying the money cannot be used for Flock cameras. Most remaining local funding, he said, comes from the federal government.

The Texas Tribune reported that the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, whose board is mostly appointed by Abbott, has devoted at least $30 million from a $1 annual auto-insurance fee hike toward building the Flock network since 2023. The fee was sold as a tool against catalytic converter theft. The Tribune said the authority helped place at least 3,200 Flock cameras, with nearly 1,200 more tied to a $15.9 million Department of Public Safety contract.

Scrutiny rose after reports of police misuse and after a Lufkin officer was indicted on 100 felony counts tied to alleged abuse of Flock data. Communities including Wylie and Hood County have canceled or declined to renew contracts. Dallas police say more than 670 cameras operate in that city alone.

Abbott said in a Friday radio interview that a crackdown is underway as residents press privacy concerns. His office did not immediately list every grant program affected or say whether money already awarded must be clawed back.

Flock markets the cameras as a tool to find stolen cars and catch violent offenders. Critics say networked plate reads create a de facto travel log without a warrant. That tension is now playing out in city halls from Dallas to Houston, where some cameras have already been vandalized.

For drivers, the practical question is local: whether city councils keep, cover or remove the cameras once state subsidy stops.