A Texas county has taken a visible step back from automated license plate surveillance after officials ended a contract with Flock Safety, a company whose cameras have become part of a growing national debate over public safety and privacy. In Hood County, Precinct 2 Constable John Shirley was asked to disable three Flock cameras following the county commissioners' decision to end its agreement with the company. Shirley unplugged and covered the devices, later telling Flock to “come get your garbage out of my county,” according to a Facebook post shared by him. The move comes amid growing debate in Texas and elsewhere over whether automated license plate readers provide valuable investigative tools or enable widespread tracking that warrants greater oversight.
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County ends Flock contract
The situation began when the Hood County Commissioners Court voted in April to end its contract with Flock Safety.
In July, commissioners directed the county attorney to address what they described as Flock Safety's failure to perform under the contract and sought a $126,000 refund, according to KERA News.
The commissioners later addressed what should happen to the equipment. During an August 11 meeting, the court unanimously voted to cover and unplug the cameras while arrangements were made for their removal, according to the Houston Chronicle. That responsibility was given to Shirley's office. He subsequently carried out the task and shared photographs showing the cameras unplugged and covered while they remained in place pending removal.
Constable criticises surveillance
Shirley did more than simply disable the equipment. In a Facebook post, he explained why he believed the cameras should no longer be operating. He argued that permanent, warrantless tracking should not become normal in a free society and described shutting down the cameras as a victory for residents concerned about privacy. His message to Flock was particularly blunt: “come get your garbage out of my county.”
The constable later clarified that his objection was not to technology used by law enforcement in general. In a follow-up statement, he said public safety remained important but argued that the word “safety” should not automatically end discussions about individual liberty. That distinction is important because automated license plate readers are designed specifically to assist law enforcement investigations.
