<\/p>\n
A vehicle passes by a Flock camera along Homestead Road near Van Zandt in Houston. The number of cases of misuse of the technology continues to grow.<\/p>\n
Melissa Phillip\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
The Texas City Police Department suspended two employees, including one who was demoted from sergeant to officer, over\u00a0alleged misuse of Flock cameras,<\/a> the city revealed in a meeting last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Texas City Commission held a special meeting last week in which, among passing an increased tax rate, Assistant Police Chief James Patterson gave a presentation on how the department is using Flock cameras.\u00a0<\/p>\n TEXAS CITIES ARE\u00a0DE-FLOCKING:\u00a0Which Texas cities are ending Flock contracts and removing cameras? Search our map.<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Patterson said during his presentation that the department in August instituted a monthly audit process in which Flock logs for every employee of the Police Department. An audit spanning January to June and about 11,900 searches found 58 that were not for a law enforcement purposes, Patterson said.<\/p>\n In one instance, a civilian dispatcher was found to have used Flock on multiple occasions to check on the status of her child who was driving her car. The employee made 42 searches, according to the presentation. She was suspended for multiple days.<\/p>\n In the second instance, a sergeant was demoted to the rank of a police officer after the audit revealed he had used Flock 16 times for non-law enforcement purposes. The presentation didn\u2019t disclose what the officer used the searches for. He was also suspended for multiple days.<\/p>\n Flock’s internal audit assistance tool helped the department identify both cases of alleged misuse, said Patterson, who didn’t name the two employees.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Chronicle has reached out to the police department for comment.<\/p>\n Both cases were presented to the Galveston County District Attorney\u2019s Office\u2019s Public Integrity Unit, according to the presentation. The district attorney\u2019s office declined to file criminal charges against the employees. Both instances of misconduct were reported to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.<\/p>\n Patterson emphasized that the incidents of misuse made up a small percentage of the department\u2019s use of Flock in the last six months.\u00a0<\/p>\n Texas City police deployed Flock cameras in 2022 and has 28 in place that cost the city $71,000 annually, according to the presentation. Patterson said in September the department started requiring all employees to receive certifications through \u201cFlock Academy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The department shares data from Flock with 768 law enforcement agencies, including federal and out of state agencies, according to the presentation. Patterson credited the Flock cameras\u00a0with helping the department make arrests in cases involving aggravated assault, online solicitation of minors and stolen property.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThis presentation is not to change anybody\u2019s mind,\u201d Patterson said, referring to the debate over the use of license plate readers. \u201cThis presentation is merely for transparency and to try and maintain the community trust and legitimacy the department does have.\u201d<\/p>\n Instances of law enforcement misusing Flock cameras locally<\/a> and nationwide have propelled criticism of the technology and debates over privacy concerns. Several Texas cities and counties have in recent months decided to end contracts for Flock cameras after resident pushback. At the state level,\u00a0Gov. Greg Abbott in September ordered a freeze on all state funding for cameras, a move that will cost Houston police about 200 cameras.<\/a><\/p>\n Texas City resident Jeff Prouty used public comment at the meeting to oppose tax dollars being used for unwarranted Flock\u00a0camera searches. He referred to a lesson his Texas City High School government teacher impressed on him in the late 1970s and paraphrased Benjamin Franklin.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I want most from my government is to leave me alone,\u201d Prouty said. \u201cTexas City police don\u2019t need a picture of me. They don\u2019t need a picture of my dog. Benjamin Franklin said it\u2019s better that 100 guilty go free than one innocent is molested.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A vehicle passes by a Flock camera along Homestead Road near Van Zandt in Houston. 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