Bastrop City Council to consider ending Flock Safety contract, cover cameras immediately

Our Take

Covering the cameras before the ink is even dry on a termination vote tells you everything about how fast trust in this system can evaporate once council members actually start asking questions. Bastrop isn't a coastal blue city with a reputation for privacy activism — it's a fast-growing Texas town, which makes this pushback even more notable. When local officials in red-state Texas start hitting the brakes on ALPR contracts, it's a sign the Flock sales pitch is running into real scrutiny at the dais, not just in comment sections.

Credit to CBS Austin for getting this on record while it's still moving. What happens next matters more than the initial vote: will Bastrop actually terminate, or will the cameras get quietly uncovered after the news cycle fades? Contracts like these are often written to make walking away expensive and slow, so 'immediately covered' doesn't always mean 'gone.' We'll be watching whether the council follows through at its next meeting.

If you're in Bastrop or anywhere else wondering whether your city already has these boxes on the power poles, check our camera map before assuming you're in the clear. And if your own council hasn't had this conversation yet, our take-action page has what you need to start it.