Texas DPS continues use of Flock cameras despite state directive

Our Take

Credit to KVUE for catching the gap between a governor's directive and what actually happens on the ground. Abbott told state agencies to quit spending state money on Flock, and DPS is apparently reading that as permission to keep the cameras running anyway — because the hardware's already installed, the contracts are signed, or the funding technically comes from somewhere else. This is exactly the kind of loophole that makes "oversight" of ALPR networks feel like theater.

The bigger issue isn't one governor's order getting ignored — it's that these camera networks are built to be sticky. Once a database is live and sharing data across jurisdictions, pulling the plug requires more than a memo. Agencies get used to querying a nationwide system on demand, and nobody wants to be the one who gives that up, directive or not. That's precisely why local fights over funding and contracts matter so much; once the cameras go up, they tend to stay up regardless of who's nominally in charge.

If you want to know whether Flock or similar ALPR systems are already watching your neighborhood, check our camera map, and if you want to push back before your local agency locks itself into the same bind as DPS, our take-action guide walks through how to make your voice heard before the contract gets signed.