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The Plano Police Department patch as pictured Thursday, March 2, 2017. (Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News)<\/p>\n
Tom Fox\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Plano has disabled over 90 Flock cameras<\/a> after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to stop funding AI-powered license plate readers<\/a>, officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n For the time being, the city will not seek alternative funding for the technology<\/a>, which Police Chief Ed Drain called a \u201cgame-changer\u201d for Plano\u2019s public safety efforts, as concerns over privacy, surveillance and misuse of the cameras grow.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s contract with Flock, which Drain said was funded through a roughly $300,000 annual grant from the Texas Anti-Gang Program, ended after the governor\u2019s order<\/a>. Plano had used Flock cameras for about three years, he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n As recently as Monday, residents have brought concerns<\/a> to the City Council regarding surveillance, including comments against the department\u2019s recently approved program to deploy drones as first responders in emergency situations, citing privacy concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Dallas police seek funding to avoid cutting Flock cameras<\/a><\/p>\n Kyle McGeehan touted Collin County municipalities like Wylie<\/a> and Princeton which have restricted Flock camera use.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTheir elected leadership put liberty above security,\u201d he told the council Monday. \u201cIt turns out that mass surveillance can be curtailed, and that all it takes is some political willpower.\u201d<\/p>\n Debates across Texas on AI-powered license plate readers \u2014 of which Flock Safety is a dominant vendor \u2014 have sought to reconcile their value in public safety efforts<\/a> with concerns that the technology can be misused and track residents with little public oversight.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Drain said losing Flock cameras \u201cis going to be a major hit for us.\u201d The technology has helped the city keep crime rates low, he said. Plano came second in a national ranking<\/a> of the safest big cities \u2014 and No. 1 in Texas, according to an evaluation by financial technology company SmartAsset.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s no doubt about it,\u201d Drain said. \u201cIt is going to hurt us to lose them.\u201d<\/p>\n Related: Texas to cut off state funding for Flock cameras, Abbott’s office says<\/a><\/p>\n Earlier this week, Plano police used Flock technology<\/a> in a neighboring municipality to locate a man suspected of fatally shooting<\/a> his ex-girlfriend in Plano, Drain said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Officials will \u201csee what happens legislatively\u201d at the state and federal level before seeking funding again, according to the police chief. Meanwhile, Dallas police are seeking to keep the city\u2019s 690 Flock cameras operating<\/a> through alternative funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Drain said the city still has license plate reading cameras through a contract with Motorola, but these cameras are not in fixed locations like Flock\u2019s. Public perception also plays a role in the department\u2019s decision to not seek alternative funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe backlash against Flock<\/a> is so great,\u201d he said. \u201cThe juice is not worth the squeeze.\u201d<\/p>\n Without the cameras, Drain said, the department will leverage other technology, like drones<\/a> and the city\u2019s real-time information center.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI understand the public’s concern about surveillance, but we just have to make sure we have good auditing procedures in place,\u201d Drain said. \u201cWe did, here in Plano<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n