\n Hood County Constable John Shirley stands beside a county-operated Flock camera during work to unplug and cover the devices. | Image via Hood County Constable, Precinct 2\/Facebook <\/p>\n
At least 23 Texas local governments have ended a Flock Safety contract, declined renewal, suspended service or reduced an existing camera network, according to an independent review by The Dallas Express of municipal records, council agendas, meeting minutes and police statements completed Sept. 6.<\/p>\n
The count covers 18 cities and five counties. Seventeen governments ended or declined agreements. Six suspended, disabled or reduced service. The review excludes school districts, private networks, rejected first-time proposals and governments that only paused future expansion.<\/p>\n
The retreat accelerated after Gov. Greg Abbott froze<\/a> state-agency spending on Flock cameras Aug. 27. His action stopped state funding and future installations, not every existing camera. Cities may continue paying for Flock with local or federal money.<\/p>\n Twenty-three governments pull back<\/p>\n Eleven governments ended agreements: Austin, Hays County, San Marcos, Bandera, Aransas Pass, Guadalupe County, Lago Vista, Ingleside, Manor, Leander<\/a> and Hood County, which The Dallas Express previously reported<\/a> had shut down its cameras over privacy and mass-surveillance concerns.<\/p>\n Six declined renewal: Sunset Valley, Magnolia, Kendall County, Pflugerville, Wylie and Robinson. Some remain active until contracts expire.<\/p>\n Six took narrower action. Burnet County removed fixed task-force cameras while portable, municipal and private units could remain. Bastrop covered 12 city cameras pending a termination decision. Lufkin suspended<\/a> use during an alleged-misuse investigation. Elgin paused<\/a> 25 cameras and a mobile trailer.<\/p>\n El Paso halted a 150-camera state-funded program. Dallas will cancel<\/a> 321 state-grant cameras Sept. 15 but keep more than 300 supported by other money.<\/p>\n The numbers count government actions, not every device inside a jurisdiction. A county vote does not remove municipal, state or private cameras there, and a nonrenewal may not take effect immediately.<\/p>\n State grid remains<\/p>\n Abbott\u2019s spokesman confirmed the freeze after reporting showed that the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority<\/a> had directed at least $30 million toward more than 3,200 cameras since 2023. A proposed $15.9 million expansion covered nearly 1,200 DPS cameras.<\/p>\n Abbott said Sept. 1 that \u201cit\u2019s going to be up to city officials themselves to unplug the Flock cameras.\u201d He added that Texas cities had already begun disconnecting.<\/p>\n The freeze did not dismantle the state network. The Department of Public Safety<\/a> told the Tribune it would pause additional installations but keep existing cameras available for \u201clegitimate public safety efforts.\u201d An agency email showed at least 940 cameras<\/a> installed as of Sept. 2.<\/p>\n The Tribune found roughly 615,000 searches in June, with 48% coming from outside Texas. After reporters questioned access by agencies without agreements, DPS said it would restrict searches and images to agencies with signed accords.<\/p>\n Dallas keeps more than 300<\/p>\n Dallas is scaling down, not leaving. As The Dallas Express previously reported<\/a>, DPD will cancel 321 state-grant-funded cameras Sept. 15. Its three-year Flock authorization<\/a> runs through June 14, 2028, and allows spending of up to $5.74 million from state, local and federal sources.<\/p>\n The department said more than 300 cameras funded from other sources will remain. \u201cThese cameras remain an important investigative tool and are used daily by detectives and officers to develop leads,\u201d DPD said.<\/p>\n A City Council majority also rejected a nonbinding proposal to remove $1.5 million in local Flock funding during an Aug. 26 budget workshop. Dallas, therefore, represents a partial state-funding retreat, not a citywide shutdown.<\/p>\n Alleged misuse sharpens debate<\/p>\n Allegations in Lufkin illustrate the kind of misuse critics warn about. An Angelina County grand jury indicted then-officer Zachary Klein on 100 counts of misuse of official information after authorities accused him of running unauthorized Flock searches involving women. The charges remain allegations; Klein has not been convicted.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the investigations are ongoing, we have suspended the use of Flock cameras within the department,\u201d Lufkin Police Chief Travis Brazil said in the department\u2019s Aug. 20 statement.<\/p>\n