College Station votes on $400,000 Flock Safety camera renewal

3 September 2026.

College Station City Council is scheduled to vote on renewal of a $400,000 annual contract with Flock Safety for 84 license plate readers. The original contract was approved in September 2025 for $395,098.10. In April 2026, the city received a grant covering 80% of the camera costs. According to the Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division Lieutenant Kevin Harris, the cameras assist in locating stolen vehicles and identifying license plates linked to crimes. The city retained data ownership, which persists for 30 days and is subject to sharing agreements with regional law enforcement agencies. Police officers, assistants, and crime analysts have database access, with the Police Department reporting it has implemented audit protocols to monitor searches for potential misuse.

Concerns about privacy and surveillance have motivated public opposition, including the social media movement known as deflocking. City Council Member Mark Smith acknowledged that while privacy concerns exist, the Police Department maintains ethical standards and high operational oversight. Smith indicated the council could vote to modify rather than simply renew the contract, potentially adding privacy safeguards. Smith also noted that similar concerns nationally have sometimes involved law enforcement misuse rather than technological failures. Residents skeptical of data security and collection practices have called for greater transparency about what information Flock gathers and how it is used.

Readers can check whether their own municipality has adopted similar audit and accountability measures for automated license plate reader systems.

Read the original reporting: The Battalion.