Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to stop funding Flock surveillance cameras amid growing concerns that the technology could enable government tracking of innocent Americans.
The move follows reports that millions of dollars in Texas funding have been used to purchase thousands of the automated license plate-reading cameras for law enforcement agencies across the state.
Around 2,000 Flock cameras were reportedly purchased through the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Board using revenue from a $1 fee attached to automobile insurance policies.
Texas also provided another $15.9 million to the Department of Public Safety to purchase approximately 1,200 cameras.
Abbott communications director Andrew Mahaleris confirmed that state funding would no longer be available for the technology.
“To the extent any funding comes from Texas agencies, those agencies are clarifying that those funds cannot be used for Flock cameras,” Mahaleris told The Texas Tribune.
Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered all state agencies to pause funding for Flock cameras.
The order came as @texastribune was preparing an investigation detailing how a state agency has devoted at least $30M to building the state’s Flock network. https://t.co/o2fWeiTS3z
— Megan Menchaca (@meganmmenchaca) August 28, 2026
Flock cameras photograph vehicles and record license plates and locations, allowing law enforcement agencies to search the resulting database during criminal investigations.
Police departments say the technology will help with locating stolen vehicles, apprehending suspects and solving serious crimes.
However, its ability to collect information on millions of ordinary motorists has generated serious privacy concerns.
Many Republicans, including Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, have publicly opposed the cameras over these concerns.
“Americans do not surrender their privacy rights when they drive to work, drop their kids off at school, or go to church,” he wrote on X.
“Flock has assembled an unprecedented national surveillance network.”
“They boast more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states and more than 20 billion vehicle scans every month.”
Americans do not surrender their privacy rights when they drive to work, drop their kids off at school, or go to church.
I’m investigating Flock cameras to determine WHO has access to hundreds of millions of Americans’ data – and what they’re doing with it pic.twitter.com/NsycLJaMMA
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) August 26, 2026
Many law enforcement agencies maintain that the cameras are valuable crime-fighting tools.
Dallas police use hundreds to investigate violent crimes, hit-and-runs and vehicle thefts, while Texas DPS has used automatic alerts to intercept stolen vehicles, fleeing suspects and human-smuggling operations.
Abbott’s order does not prohibit local departments from continuing to operate Flock cameras using local or federal funds, but it shuts off Texas state money for their purchase and operation.
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