Hood County, located about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth, has shut down and covered its network of Flock automated license plate reader cameras after county commissioners and residents raised concerns about privacy and the potential for mass surveillance.
Hood County Constable John D. Shirley announced the move over the weekend, sharing photos of cameras that had been unplugged and covered. He said the work was completed in response to requests from county commissioners and residents.
In a Facebook post, Shirley described the shutdown as a victory for local residents and criticized the technology for continuously collecting information about drivers.
“These cameras were constantly scanning and recording regular folks just going about their day,” Shirley wrote. “That kind of permanent, warrantless tracking doesn’t belong in a free society.”
He added that residents should not have to worry that their daily travels are being recorded and stored, writing that “privacy isn’t optional, and mass surveillance isn’t how we do things here.”
Shirley ended his post with a message directed at Flock Safety: “Come get your garbage out of my county.”
What Flock Cameras Do
Flock Safety’s automated license plate reader, or ALPR, cameras are used by law enforcement agencies across the country. The systems capture license plate information along with details about passing vehicles, allowing investigators to search for vehicles that may be connected to crimes or other incidents.
Law enforcement agencies have said the technology can help locate missing people, recover stolen vehicles, and identify suspects during investigations.
The systems have also become the subject of growing privacy concerns because they can create searchable records of where vehicles have traveled. Critics argue that widespread networks of ALPR cameras can amount to a form of mass surveillance, particularly when information is retained and shared among agencies.
The Hood County decision puts those concerns at the center of a local debate over whether the investigative benefits of the technology outweigh the privacy implications.
Flock Changes Its Privacy Practices
The Hood County shutdown comes as Flock Safety has announced changes intended to strengthen safeguards around its technology.
The company now recommends a seven-day default retention period for ALPR data, down from 30 days. Data connected to an active investigation can still be preserved through a feature called Evidence Mode.
Flock also said searches will require users to enter a case code beforehand, with exceptions for emergencies such as a missing-child investigation. The company has announced additional controls, including offense filtering, audit requirements, proactive account lockouts and stronger authentication requirements.
Flock said it is also strengthening security through mandatory multifactor authentication, an independent security review and a coordinated vulnerability disclosure program.
The changes followed scrutiny over allegations that some law enforcement personnel had improperly used access to license plate data for personal purposes.
Flock CEO Garrett Langley has acknowledged that the technology can be misused while defending its value to law enforcement. He has said the company is working to improve accountability and provide agencies with tools to identify improper use.
Debate Over Surveillance Continues in Texas
The controversy surrounding Flock cameras extends beyond Hood County.
Other Texas communities have seen residents question the use of automated license plate readers, while some police departments continue to describe the systems as important investigative tools. In Dallas, police have credited Flock technology with helping investigators develop leads in criminal cases, as The Dallas Express previously reported.
At the same time, Flock cameras in North Texas have been the targets of vandalism, reflecting the intensity of opposition to the technology in some communities.
Privacy advocates have argued that reducing data retention does not eliminate broader concerns about automated tracking. The American Civil Liberties Union has said Flock’s recent changes could be a step in the right direction but has continued to characterize ALPR networks as a significant civil liberties concern.
Hood County Cameras Remain Shut Down
For now, the Flock cameras operated in Hood County have been unplugged and covered, according to Shirley.
County officials have not released a detailed public statement explaining the decision beyond the requests from commissioners and residents cited by the constable.
The action represents a significant local response to the debate over automated surveillance, with Hood County officials choosing to suspend the technology while privacy and law enforcement concerns continue to be debated.
