A handful of Houstonians rallied Tuesday night in the Texas Medical Center against Flock Safety license plate cameras amid growing public backlash.
The walk was part of an Aug. 16-22 national campaign opposing automated license plate readers as Flock Safety faces growing scrutiny over privacy and the way law enforcement officers use its searchable network. Several Houston-area agencies have recently investigated possible misuse, while Texas regulators found this year that Flock violated state law by operating without a required license.
Jasmine Khadem González, an organizer with the Democratic Socialists of America, said the aim was to educate residents about the cameras and how to oppose their use.
“We want to let people know that this mass surveillance infrastructure is already being built and already exists here in this city,” said Khadem González. “(Flock is) more than just a slippery slope. We’re currently in the reality where this kind of mass surveillance infrastructure is, at best, violating our Fourth Amendment rights.”
As the group chanted phrases such as “Get the Flock out” and “De-Flock our streets,” passing drivers honked in support and some pulled over to talk with protesters.
In 2025, the Houston Chronicle obtained logs for nearly 470,000 Flock Safety searches run by Houston police over a 12-month period. A Chronicle analysis found that officers often provided vague explanations or no specific law enforcement purpose for those searches.
Advocates said allegations that police officers and deputies misused the system have heightened privacy concerns and show the need to limit or remove Flock cameras.
González said the presence of the camera system was especially concerning in Houston where everyone is “car dependent, and that means that your identity is really tied to your vehicle.”
Christopher Rivera, senior advocacy manager for the Criminal Legal Program at the Texas Civil Rights Project, said he came to Tuesday’s walk to draw attention to how Flock cameras can be used to track people. He said another goal of the event was to find and report cameras through the DeFlock app, which maps automated license plate readers and other surveillance devices.
“I am very cautious of how I consume and participate in social media and stuff like that,” Rivera said. “We didn’t didn’t consent to (Flock cameras.) We didn’t authorize this access to our data, to our routes to work, to where we go to school.”