Harris County has paid Flock Safety about $1.3 million since 2023 for its license plate reader camera network, well above the amount its original contract called for, ABC13 reports.
The station reports the first contract ran from June 2023 to June 2024 and was valued at $160,500, but actual payments over that period came to $302,650. In May 2026 commissioners approved an extension worth $868,975 that runs through 2027.
County Judge Lina Hidalgo is calling for a special meeting with public comment on the program. She told the station the court has not had a conversation about how to put some sort of oversight on Flock cameras. Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia described the system as a new crime fighting tool when the court approved it on June 6, 2023.
About 2,300 Flock cameras operate in the Houston area, most of them owned by private entities, and law enforcement can access the data without a warrant, according to the report.
Harris County law enforcement contracts cover the unincorporated Lake Houston area, including parts of Atascocita, Huffman and Kingwood. Lake Houston Today reported earlier this month that the governor halted some state funding for Flock cameras while Hidalgo pressed for a special session.
