Abbott bars Texas agencies from funding Flock cameras

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered all state agencies this week to halt funding for Flock cameras amid growing concerns nationwide about the misuse of the roadside camera network.

The decision, which was communicated to state agencies on Thursday evening, came as The Texas Tribune said it was preparing to publish an investigation into the state’s funding of these cameras. The newsroom reported that the Texas legislature authorized a 2023 hike in auto insurance costs to purchase and maintain 3,200 Flock cameras across the state.

Abbott’s press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, noted in a statement shared with The Hill on Saturday that nearly all Flock cameras in the state are purchased by cities through federal funding.

“To the extent any funding comes from Texas agencies, those agencies are clarifying that those funds cannot be used for Flock cameras,” Mahaleris said.

A spokesperson for Flock emphasized in a statement to The Hill Saturday that the company’s technology is “an important public safety tool” for Texas law enforcement agencies.

“We support thoughtful legislation and strong privacy, transparency, and accountability guardrails that ensure technology is used responsibly while preserving law enforcement’s ability to use effective tools to keep people safe,” the Flock spokesperson said.

Abbott’s decision comes as a growing number of cities cancel their contracts with Flock over reported abuse of the company’s expansive roadside camera network. In Lufkin, Texas, a city police officer was indicted in April on 100 counts of misusing Flock data.

The city of Tempe, Ariz., canceled its police department’s $80,000 contract with the company this week over a growing concern about abuse of data across the nation.

Tempe Mayor Corey Woods told NewsNation’s Blake Burman Thursday evening that “the potential for misuse was too great.”

“In order to make sure that we’re not only just being directly upfront with our residents, our main goal was to provide public safety, but also make sure that we’re protecting public trust,” Woods said. “And we understood that the longer this kept going on, we were going to see an erosion in public trust from the people who live, work and play in the city of Tempe.”

Federal lawmakers have also raised alarm over the reported abuse of Flock data.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, launched an investigation into the company’s operations this week, alleging a “woeful lack of safeguards in these systems.”

Earlier this month, Flock added new privacy guidelines to its camera systems, including reducing the default video retention period, adding more methods to detect suspicious searches and providing greater product transparency.