Bastrop didn't just cancel Flock. It banned whatever comes next.
The short version: Bastrop didn't just dump Flock — it banned any future vendor from building a vehicle-surveillance network, and that's the model other cities should copy.
Our Take
Credit where it's due: Flock U caught something most local news blipped past. Bastrop's city council didn't just vote to cancel a contract because the cameras were broken or unpopular. Council member Cynthia Meyer made sure the motion covered the underlying threat — any system, from any vendor, that collects, retains, tracks, analyzes, or shares vehicle-location data. That's the language that actually matters. Swap out "Flock" for the next company selling the same surveillance dressed up in a new logo, and the ban still holds.
This is what happens when public pressure, a wobbling state funding picture, and half-dead hardware collide. Six of Bastrop's twelve cameras were already down, the rest covered since September, and a Texas poll found nearly two-thirds of voters opposed to these things watching public streets. Add a governor pumping the brakes on state Flock money, and you get a council that decided trust isn't rebuilt by just picking a new vendor — it's rebuilt by refusing the whole category of tech.
Most "we're getting rid of Flock" stories quietly leave the door open for ALPR 2.0 a year later. Bastrop closed it. If you want to see whether your own city is still running these networks, check our camera map, and if you'd rather your council write a ban with teeth instead of a press release, our take-action page has the tools to push for exactly that.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Flock U, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.