Liberty Hill ends Flock camera program, removes surveillance devices

Our Take

Credit to KXAN for the on-the-ground report: Liberty Hill's city council didn't just pause its Flock Safety program, they killed it, unanimously, and ordered the cameras removed. That's a rare and important data point in the ALPR fight. Most coverage of Flock is about expansion — a new city signing on, a bigger network, more plates scanned. Liberty Hill is a reminder that these contracts are not permanent fixtures. They're policy choices, and policy choices can be reversed when residents and council members actually weigh the privacy costs instead of just swallowing the sales pitch.

What makes this notable is the word "unanimously." This wasn't a partisan wedge issue or a split vote — it was a council looking at a mass-surveillance system quietly logging every car that passes through town and deciding the tradeoff wasn't worth it. That's the kind of scrutiny every city with a Flock contract should be applying, especially given how little independent audit access residents typically get into who's searching this data and why.

If your town has these cameras, or you're not sure, check our map to see what's already been documented near you. And if Liberty Hill's vote gives you an idea of what's possible, our take-action page has the tools to push your own council toward the same conversation.