Technology and Science17 August, 20262 min read
Hood County Unplugs Flock Cameras After Constable John D. Shirley Cites Privacy Concerns
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Hood County constable unplugged and covered three Flock cameras over privacy concerns. County Commissioners Court voted in April to end contract with Flock Safety.
Hood County shuts Flock
Hood County shut down and covered three Flock automated license plate reader cameras after county officials and residents raised privacy and mass surveillance concerns, with the Commissioners Court authorizing the coverings at its Aug. 11 meeting after terminating its agreement with Flock Safety.
KERA reported that the cameras were expected to remain covered until the equipment is physically removed, and Hood County Constable John D. Shirley posted photos of the cameras being unplugged and covered over the weekend.
In a statement, Shirley said the cameras were recorded people indiscriminately and described the technology as warrantless tracking, writing, "These cameras were constantly scanning and recording regular folks just going about their day.”
The Houston Chronicle reported that Shirley shared photos of the work and told the company to “come get your garbage out of my county,” after the commissioners court voted unanimously during its Aug. 11 meeting to cover and unplug the cameras until they could be removed.
Debate over privacy and policing
The Dallas News described Shirley’s position as a stand for local control, quoting him: "Privacy isn’t optional," and it said the cameras photograph vehicles traveling on public roads and capture information including a car’s description and the date, time and location a vehicle passed through. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported that Shirley posted on Facebook to end "warrantless tracking" of citizens "just going about their day," and it said the cameras record vehicles as they pass by and capture the license plate, vehicle description, time and date.
NBC 5 also quoted Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds saying Shirley asked the Hood County Commissioners Court if he could cover the three cameras and that the court allowed him to do so because they had "canceled the contract" with Flock. In the same coverage, NBC 5 said many police agencies, including the Dallas Police Department, argued the AI-assisted cameras are critical investigative tools, while it noted growing public opposition and that dozens of cameras in Dallas have even been vandalized.
What happens next
KERA reported that Flock Safety announced changes to its privacy safeguards last week, including stricter audits to prevent misuse and data storage for seven days — down from 30 days. The Houston Chronicle said Flock Safety is a private public-safety technology company based in Georgia and described its network as having more than 120,000 cameras around the country, as reported by CBS News.
NBC 5 added that North Texas Congressman Keith Self introduced legislation that would limit how federal agencies can access license plate reader data, saying privacy deserves greater protection. Meanwhile, FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth said Hood County’s Commissioner's Court vote only covers the county’s three Flock cameras, and it reported that Granbury, which is its own municipality within Hood County, still uses Flock cameras.