Some Texas cities are not ready to fly away from Flock. College Station became the latest Texas city to keep its license-plate-reader cameras running on Thursday, voting 4-2 to renew two Flock Safety agreements for another year. The agreements total up to $299,061.80, including up to $158,000 for cameras on Texas Department of Transportation roads and up to $141,061.80 for cameras on non-TxDOT roads, according to the council agenda.
DALLAS, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 28: An automated license plate reader by Flock Safety?has been erected in the 200 block of N. Good Latimer Expy near downtown Dallas, February 18, 2026. The AI-assisted cameras capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles and their license plates. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images) (The Dallas Morning News/Hearst N/The Dallas Morning News via Gett)
The vote came after more than 20 speakers addressed the council, according to KBTX. Council members Bob Yancy and Mark Smith voted against the renewal.
But College Station is not alone.
Texas cities still keeping Flock
Carrollton voted this month to renew its Flock agreement for 82 cameras for three years, with an annual cost of up to $398,258.34 and a total contract amount of up to $1.19 million, according to WFAA.
Kyle also voted to continue its Flock contract despite losing state grant reimbursement, according to the Texas Tribune. The outlet reported Kyle had not received its 2026 grant for $205,000, including $80,000 that would help pay for 32 Flock cameras, but City Council still voted 6-1 on Sept. 5 to continue the contract.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – AUGUST 7: A Flock Safety camera monitors traffic entering and leaving North Star Mall along West Rector Drive in San Antonio on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. The automated license plate reader captures vehicle information and logs it in a searchable cloud database used by law enforcement agencies and private communities. (Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News via Getty Images) (San Antonio Express-News/Hearst /San Antonio Express-News via Get)
Conroe has also resisted efforts to remove the cameras. The Houston Chronicle’s Flock tracker lists Conroe as having rejected removal of the cameras, after the city tabled action that would have put the issue on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Laredo is not ending the cameras outright, either. The Tribune reported Laredo will ask voters in a nonbinding referendum whether the city should spend about $1 million a year to keep 165 cameras operating after state funding was cut.
What about bigger cities?
In bigger cities, the answer is more complicated. The Tribune reported Houston and Dallas shuttered grant-funded cameras while leaving much of their networks in operation.
The Houston Chronicle tracker says Dallas will shut down 321 automated license plate readers after the state funding freeze while keeping roughly 300 city-funded cameras operational.
Why Flock is under pressure
Flock cameras are automated license plate readers used by law enforcement to identify vehicles connected to investigations. Supporters say they help solve crimes and locate suspects. Opponents have raised privacy concerns, especially as reports of misuse and questions over state funding have spread across.
That fight has pushed many Texas communities in the other direction. The Houston Chronicle reported this month that two dozen Texas cities and counties had taken steps to remove automated license plate readers or end Flock contracts. The tracker includes Aransas Pass, Austin, Bastrop, Hays County, Lago Vista, Leander, Magnolia, Manvel, Pflugerville, San Marcos, Willis and Wylie.
The state funding freeze
The funding fight accelerated after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies in August to pause spending on Flock cameras. The Texas Tribune reported the order came as the outlet prepared to publish an investigation detailing how a state agency had put at least $30 million toward building the Flock network through grants to local police departments.
TxDOT has also stopped issuing permits for new Flock camera installations along state roads, though that pause does not affect cameras already installed along state rights-of-way, according to the Texas Tribune.
AUSTIN, TEXAS – MAY 17: A protest sign is seen next to Flock camera pole with the camera removed on East Crystal Falls Parkway in Leander on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, after the city canceled its contract with Flock Safety, which provides automatic license plate reader technology. (Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images) (Austin American-Statesman/Hearst/Austin American-Statesman via Ge)
Still, the technology is not disappearing from Texas. Civic IQ, which tracks government contracts and public agency records, found Texas was moving in both directions at once: five Texas agencies had recorded Flock contracts with stated values in 2025 and 2026, while five more jurisdictions were ending, declining to renew or reviewing agreements.
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This article originally published at Some Texas cities are saying flock it and keeping Flock cameras.