Mayes Middleton on Texas Flock cameras and the fight over privacy

Our Take

CBS Texas caught Republican AG candidate Mayes Middleton saying what we've been saying for years: Flock Safety's license plate reader network needs real guardrails, not vague promises from vendors or police departments. When a statewide candidate running on a law-and-order platform starts questioning unchecked ALPR expansion, that's a signal this isn't a fringe issue anymore — it's becoming a bipartisan liability for the companies and agencies pushing these cameras into every neighborhood.

What's missing from most of these political soundbites, including this one, is specificity. 'Guardrails' is a comforting word, but it means nothing without binding limits on data retention, mandatory audit trails, bans on warrantless federal and out-of-state data sharing, and real penalties when departments misuse the system. Texas has one of the densest Flock deployments in the country, and without enforceable law, a politician's promise of oversight evaporates the moment cameras go live.

Credit to CBS Texas for putting this question to a statewide candidate on camera — that kind of accountability reporting is exactly what pushes surveillance policy into daylight. If you want to see how many of these cameras are already running in your own town, check our camera map, and if you want to push your local officials toward actual guardrails instead of talking points, start with our take-action resources.