Dallas police are seeking to revise the city’s $5.7 million contract with Flock Safety, whose expansive network of roadside cameras has drawn growing scrutiny over privacy and misuse.
The Police Department notified the company Tuesday that it intends to cancel the three-year deal, beginning a contractually required 10-day notice period, police spokesperson Allison Hudson said. The City Council approved the contract in May 2025.
Dallas police officials now hope to keep all 690 cameras operating, despite announcing earlier this month that more than 300 would be deactivated this week after state funding was paused.
Police say the AI-powered camera network is an important investigative tool. And, most council members have supported continued spending on the technology despite mounting questions around their use.
Related: Flock cameras roil Republicans and Democrats in North Texas
The city planned to pay for the contract with a mix of city funds and state and federal grants. But Gov. Greg Abbott last month paused state agency funding for the technology, leaving Dallas police and other agencies that relied on those grants to cover the shortfall or scale back their camera networks.
Hudson said the department is searching for funding opportunities to keep its network. She said no grant opportunities had been identified as of Tuesday.
“We know that it helps us solve crime. It is one of our primary investigative tools,” she said.
The city’s contract with Flock gives the city authority to terminate all or part of the agreement with 10 days’ written notice because of a failure to appropriate funding, for cause or for the city’s convenience. Any amendment would require a separate written agreement signed by the city and the company.
Days after Abbott paused state funding for Flock cameras, police announced plans to deactivate nearly half of the city’s network by Sept. 15 to “ensure compliance with the governor’s directive.”
The City Council has so far resisted scaling back the network, with many describing the technology as a critical tool for officers.
During budget deliberations earlier this month, all but three council members signaled they opposed council member Adam Bazaldua’s proposal to remove $1.5 million planned for the cameras.
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This article originally published at Dallas police seek funding to avoid cutting Flock cameras.