After The Texas Tribune contacted Abbott’s office for comment on an investigation involving a small state agency’s $30 million investment in more than 3,200 cameras. Now, several Texas cities and a county are betting the governor will reverse that decision before the election, and they are accepting Flock’, the governor froze state funding for Flock Safety cameras in late August. The agency had offered to keep the devices running for 90 days while it waited.
The city of Dallas has decided to retain more than 300 Flock Safety cameras that were originally marked for removal, following a pause in payments for 90 days. Meanwhile, at least two cities — Addison and New Braunfels — along with one county, Johnson County, have been given extensions permitting them to hold onto cameras funded through state grants.
Those local officials said they almost certainly would have taken action on their own to close down the affected devices, even without the assistance of Flock.
Abbott’s Funding Freeze
Hundreds of Flock cameras have been shut off because the freeze has left cities and counties that used to depend on state money with no choice but to close some or all of their devices. Abbott instructed the Texas Department of Transportation to put a hold on putting new license plate readers in place along state roads and highways, though he allowed cameras already installed to remain where they are.
Johnson County Commissioner Rick Bailey made the remarks at a Sept. 14 meeting, where he described the shift as both “very political” and “the only reason we’re seeing a pause in any of this is because of the fear of making the voters upset.” in nature.
The Pause Agreement
Wednesday evening saw Garrett Langley, CEO of Flock Safety, meet with Dallas Police. The department followed up by announcing the arrangement that will keep grant-funded cameras running. When asked for further details on plans beyond the three-month period, a Dallas Police spokesperson said no additional information was available.
In Addison, City Councilmember Marlin Willesen said ideally the state would fund the cameras, saying “I think the state is going to fund it, the question to me is not if, it’s when.” Addison Police Chief Chris Freis said Flock informed Addison of the 90-day pause on Sept. 10, calling it a way to wait for further state guidance on camera funding.
The four departments that got the 90-day extension all drew on reimbursement grants from the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, which is governed by a board whose members were mostly chosen by Abbott.
The Cost Of Waiting
County leaders have already started working on a plan to address the issue, according to Rick Bailey, who said his county had “a half a million dollars of local taxpayer money already encumbered and paid, and [we’re] waiting for that reimbursement that the governor promised through the grant program.”.
Thirteen other cities and counties have shuttered their cameras since Abbott’s funding block. El Paso city council members voted to tear down their 150 cameras, all funded through the vehicle authority.
What The Pause Covers
The 90-day pause is intended to give departments “time to identify new funding sources,” according to a presentation to Addison city council by city police chief Chris Freis. Departments will not be required to make payments during the pause but will maintain full access to their Flock cameras.
If funding does not return after the 90-day payment hold ends, Flock told Addison, New Braunfels and Johnson County they could exit their contracts with no penalties.
The State Cameras
More than 3,000 police departments across the country accessed data from the Department of Public Safety’s state-funded camera system at a rate of once every four seconds in June, according to the report. The system includes over 900 devices.
Locations Granted Extensions
| Location | Status |
|---|---|
| Dallas | More than 300 cameras kept via 90-day pause |
| Addison | Extension granted |
| New Braunfels | Extension granted |
| Johnson County | Extension granted |
The Political Calculation
Local leaders are counting on Abbott to bring back money once the voting is over. The cameras stay running, no payment made for 90 days, while they wait for the governor to reverse his position before the election.
“The only reason we’re seeing a pause in any of this is because of the fear of making the voters upset.”
Whether that bet pays off depends on Abbott’s next move.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the citizens and local groups pushing back against mass tracking and the companies that sell to them, and is against camera networks and data dragnets, including the Flock Safety cameras now being retained by Dallas and other cities. The pause agreements mean the cameras stay on for 90 days while cities wait for the governor to bring back the funding he cut, a political calculation made explicit by Rick Bailey’s remark that the pause is driven by fear of upsetting voters.
The paper’s position is clear: smaller government, less control over people’s lives, and no surveillance state. A governor cutting funding for a state agency’s $30 million camera program is moving in the right direction, but the local deals now in place keep the equipment running without public consent, using state grants administered by a board mostly chosen by Abbott himself.
The 90-day pause gives cities time to find new funding sources, as Flock told Addison, New Braunfels and Johnson County. But if no funding returns, those cities can exit their contracts with no penalties. That means the pause is a temporary fix, not a permanent solution. The voters Abbott fears upsetting will have to decide whether the cameras stay or go after the election.
Source material: “Betting that Abbott will soon restore funding, some Texas agencies accept Flock’s offer to keep cameras on,” Houston Public Media.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.