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The pause, confirmed Thursday by an agency spokesperson, does
not affect cameras already installed along state rights-of-way,
including more than 900 cameras operated by the Texas Department
of Public Safety.
“TxDOT’s role is to review permits to ensure license plate
readers are installed correctly and safely along state-owned
roadways,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement. “This
suspension also includes agreements that are approved but not
yet installed.”
TxDOT clarified that it approves permits for the cameras but
does not install the devices, nor does the agency have access to
data from Flock cameras installed along state roads.
A presentation about Flock cameras from the police chief in
Schertz, a city northeast of San Antonio, said the pause began
Sept. 8. TxDOT did not immediately confirm when the pause began.
Use of the cameras, which scan all passing vehicles to compile
license plate numbers and other identifying data into an easily
searched database, has raised mounting privacy concerns.
TxDOT’s pause followed Gov. Greg Abbott’s late August order
blocking state funding for Flock cameras as The Texas Tribune
prepared to publish an investigation into a small state agency
that directed at least $30 million to help fund more than 3,200
Flock cameras across Texas.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Aug. 31 ordered his state’s
transportation department to remove the cameras from state
roads, saying he didn’t want “a surveillance state.”
There were an estimated 13,000 Flock cameras across Texas in
August, but hundreds of the devices have been shut down after
Abbott’s funding freeze.
City councils and county commissions across the state have also
been unplugging their cameras in response to pressure from
residents who cite privacy concerns and a growing number of
police who were arrested or investigated for misusing Flock
cameras to stalk people.
Law enforcement agencies have defended the cameras as a highly
effective crime-solving tool that can be effective in reducing
vehicle theft and locating missing people.
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