League City, Texas, is asking its voters a question most cities never put on a ballot: should the police department keep using Flock Safety license plate readers? Election Day is Nov. 3, and early voting ended Oct. 30.
The measure, Proposition A, asks whether the League City Police Department should continue using automated license plate readers at fixed locations on public roads. The ballot language says a vote for the proposition supports continued use, and a vote against it expresses opposition. The vote is nonbinding, but according to FOX 26 Houston, the City Council has passed a resolution committing to act on a “no” result. Community Impact has described League City as the first Texas city to put Flock camera use to voters.
What the cameras are
The city manages 55 Flock cameras, per FOX 26. Police also have access to 23 homeowners association cameras and six private business cameras, which brings the total to 84 within the department’s jurisdiction. In August, police told KTRK that Flock played a role in 305 criminal investigations over the past year.
The cost is not entirely clear. The police department reports an annual Flock contract of $175,000, while Mayor Nick Long cited $120,000 in an interview. FOX 26 noted the difference and no explanation was given.
What they collect and who can search
According to the department, the cameras capture still images of vehicles and plates, vehicle characteristics, and the date, time and location of each passage. Police say they do not record audio or video and do not use facial recognition. Vehicle data is kept for 30 days unless it is preserved as evidence. Search and audit records are kept separately and are not subject to that 30-day limit.
Under a policy revised Aug. 19, every search requires a case or event number, and personal, civil and Class C misdemeanor uses are prohibited. An administrator approves access by outside agencies. Supervisors review use each shift, the Office of Professional Standards audits every 30 days, and operator accounts are audited quarterly. Officers must verify an alert before acting on it. Data from cameras in state highway rights-of-way is sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s plate reader system every 24 hours.
If voters say no
Long says the cameras would be covered or disabled within 72 hours after the results are certified, and that the city would pay any remaining contract obligation if necessary. Council member Tom Crews, who is running against Long for mayor, has questioned whether a contract provision protecting existing agreements conflicts with that promise and wants the city to explain how it would cancel the contract. Police say they will follow the council’s direction. They have not said what would happen to data already collected.
Long defends the cameras as useful and says the city can keep their benefits while strengthening privacy protections. He says he is not yet convinced the city has stopped misuse by other agencies, and he is working with a citizen audit committee and Flock on tighter restrictions. Crews says privacy and safety are not competing goals and calls for more transparency about the contract and the shutdown plan.
Why it matters beyond League City
Other cities have canceled Flock contracts after pressure from residents, and some have found that canceling is only the first step. If League City voters say no, the city’s 72-hour promise will be an early test of how quickly a Texas city can actually turn the cameras off.
Sources: FOX 26 Houston; KTRK via AOL; Community Impact.