Bastrop Council Votes to Cover Flock Cameras
The short version: Bastrop's council unanimously covered up its Flock cameras ahead of a possible contract termination — a rare, encouraging retreat from ALPR surveillance.
Our Take
Credit where it's due: Texas Scorecard caught a city council actually hitting pause on its Flock Safety contract instead of just rubber-stamping another renewal. A unanimous vote to physically cover the cameras while members weigh pulling the plug entirely is the kind of accountability moment that almost never makes the news, because most councils approve these systems in five minutes flat with zero public debate.
What makes Bastrop notable isn't just the vote itself, it's the signal it sends. These cameras don't just catch the car you think they're looking for, they log every plate that passes, building a searchable record of where you went and when, shared across a network that extends far beyond your town's police department. When a council is willing to say "let's cover these up until we figure out if this was a mistake," that's a crack in the assumption that ALPR expansion is inevitable.
If you're in Bastrop or anywhere nearby, this is the moment to show up and make your voice heard before the next meeting. Check our camera map to see what's already watching your own neighborhood, and hit up our take-action page for tools to push your local council toward the same kind of reconsideration.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Texas Scorecard, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.