Texas Lawmakers' $1 Fee Fueled Massive Flock Camera Surveillance Network

A little-known state agency has redirected at least $30 million from a $1 annual fee added to Texas auto insurance policies to fund a rapid expansion of Flock surveillance cameras across the state, according to a Texas Tribune analysis.

The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, whose board is mostly appointed by Governor Greg Abbott, has used the fee increase—passed unanimously by the Legislature in 2023—to finance the installation of at least 3,200 Flock cameras along highways and city streets, from El Paso to the Louisiana border. The authority has awarded 95 grants to local law enforcement agencies to purchase and maintain roughly 2,000 cameras, while an additional $15.9 million has gone to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for nearly 1,200 more. In early August, the authority approved another $3 million for DPS to install 583 additional cameras on Texas tollways over the next year.

Miguel Rodriguez, chair of the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority and Laredo Police Chief, has advocated for expanding the state’s camera network, arguing that it disrupts criminal organizations. “That kind of capability directly disrupts the operational advantage these transnational criminal organizations rely on, and it strengthens our ability to protect both Texas communities and the broader region,” he said in an email.

However, Abbott’s office announced Friday that the governor was pausing all state funding for local Flock camera grants. “To the extent that cities get any funding for those cameras, most of it comes from the federal government,” said Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris. “To the extent any funding comes from Texas agencies, those agencies are clarifying that those funds cannot be used for Flock cameras.”

Since the $1 fee was introduced, the authority has raised an estimated $81 million, allocating $50.8 million in 234 grants to reimburse police departments for prosecuting vehicular crimes, as well as purchasing drones and other surveillance devices. The Tribune found that grant amounts varied widely, from $7,000 for two cameras in Bellmead (near Waco) to nearly $1.7 million for 201 cameras in Dallas. Some cities, such as Laredo (165 cameras) and El Paso (150 cameras), had their entire networks funded by state grants.

The exact number of Flock cameras in Texas remains unclear, as the authority does not specify how much of its grant money was used for Flock devices. The Tribune’s analysis, based on meeting records and documents from 101 city councils and county commissions, likely undercounts the total, as 124 grants lacked clear documentation. A watchdog group, DeFlock, has identified about 13,000 Flock cameras in Texas—suggesting that the insurance fee increase has paid for one in four statewide.

Flock cameras, the nation’s most widely used license plate readers, create a detailed “vehicle fingerprint” using artificial intelligence, storing license plate data, vehicle descriptions, and other identifiers in a searchable database accessible to law enforcement nationwide without a warrant. Flock spokesperson Trevor Chandler claimed the system has helped locate over 10,000 missing persons last year.

Critics, however, argue that the expanding network poses serious privacy risks. “The sheer volume of information captured is not something that is entertained, in my view, by the Fourth Amendment,” said State Rep. Mitch Little (R-Lewisville). State Sen. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston), who sponsored the bill creating the fee increase, said surveillance cameras were never discussed during the legislative process. “When I think of combating crime, I’m thinking of more boots on the ground, hiring more officers, or undercover work,” she said.

Concerns over misuse have grown after reports of officers accessing Flock data to stalk ex-partners and co-workers. A Lufkin officer was indicted last month on 100 counts of misusing official information, and officers in Baytown, Harris County, Fort Bend County, Temple, and Pasadena have faced disciplinary action or investigations.

The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority was established in 1991 to combat auto theft, funded primarily by fees added to insurance premiums. The authority’s board includes DPS officials and six governor-appointed members, representing law enforcement, insurers, and consumers. While the fee increase initially targeted catalytic converter theft, its proceeds have increasingly gone toward surveillance technology rather than traditional law enforcement methods.