Central Texas city discontinues Flock camera program

4 September 2026.

A Central Texas city has discontinued its Flock Safety camera program, according to reporting from the Austin American-Statesman. The decision represents another municipality reconsidering its use of automated license plate reader technology.

Flock Safety cameras capture vehicle license plates and cross-reference them against databases of stolen vehicles and missing persons. The technology has expanded rapidly across the United States, though it has also faced scrutiny from privacy advocates and civil liberties organizations concerned about surveillance scope and data retention practices.

This termination adds to a growing number of jurisdictions reassessing their ALPR contracts. Communities citing reasons for discontinuation have included concerns about effectiveness relative to cost, privacy implications, community feedback, or budget constraints.

The Austin American-Statesman reporting provides details on the city council decision and any public discussion preceding it.

Readers interested in their own municipality’s stance on automated license plate readers can check with their city or county government offices for existing contracts, terms of service agreements, or council records discussing the technology.

1. City That Ended the Program

• City: Leander, Texas (in Williamson and Travis counties, north of Austin). (Note: Neighboring Manor also announced the end of its Flock program on the same day, following recent shutdowns in Pflugerville, Bastrop, Elgin, and Lago Vista).

2. Date of Decision & Timeline

• Public Hearing & Council Directive: Thursday, September 3, 2026
• Official Termination & Deactivation: Friday, September 4, 2026 (the city issued a directive ending the contract and the Leander Police Department immediately ceased all use of Flock cameras and data).

3. Duration of Program Operation

• Duration: Approximately one year.
• The city launched the ALPR program in 2025, initially funding the first year through a federal grant before transition to the Police Department’s general fund.

4. Stated Reasons for Discontinuation

• Third-Party Data Access & Sharing: Severe concern over outside entities and unauthorized agencies accessing local vehicle data across the network.
• Data Retention: Concerns regarding how long vehicle scans and location histories were retained in Flock’s cloud databases.
• Loss of Public Trust: Mayor Na’Cole Thompson emphasized that while the council recognized local police utility, the public’s apprehension regarding Flock Safety’s business practices, lack of transparency, and recent data-sharing controversies across other cities made continued use untenable.

5. Specific Objections Raised Locally

• Heavy Public Opposition: 55 residents registered and spoke against the cameras during the council meeting’s public hearing, following grassroots mobilization by local group DeFlock Leander and community petitions.
• Warrantless Surveillance / Fourth Amendment Concerns: Residents argued the system builds a searchable mass-surveillance dragnet tracking innocent drivers rather than strictly focusing on vehicles tied to active warrants or felonies.
• Separation of Department vs. Vendor: Speakers stressed that their opposition was directed at Flock Safety as a private corporation and its data practices, rather than at the Leander Police Department.
• Cybersecurity Risks: Objections were raised regarding data breaches, skilled hacker vulnerability, and out-of-state access glitches.

6. Voting Details & Outcome

• Presentation: Police Chief Greg Minton delivered a presentation defending the technology as an effective force multiplier for solving crimes and recovering stolen vehicles.
• Council Action: Following public testimony, the Leander City Council unanimously directed the city manager and staff not to renew or fund the Flock Safety contract and to freeze the system immediately.
• Immediate Aftermath: On September 4, 2026, the police department shut off access to the network, and the city initiated the process to cover and physically remove the cameras from city rights-of-way.

Read the original reporting: statesman.com.

Related record: Austin, Texas in the jurisdictions directory.