Harris County Precinct 4 has taken its Flock Safety license plate reader cameras offline, Commissioner Lesley Briones announced in an October 8 press release, and Commissioners Court is scheduled to take up the county’s wider use of the technology on Thursday, October 15.
Briones cited privacy. She said the cameras can be useful but that “private ownership of the data and the use of AI present serious issues,” and that she would work with residents, colleagues, law enforcement and the Harris County Attorney to decide the county’s path forward. “I cannot wait to act. These Precinct 4 cameras are offline,” she said. In a separate account she said that “safety and security includes protecting their privacy and the privacy of their families.”
How Many Cameras
The two outlets that reported the shutdown describe the equipment differently, and the figures should not be treated as settled.
Click2Houston reported that 61 Flock Safety license plate reader cameras were taken offline, and that all 61 were license plate readers. Community Impact reported that Precinct 4 previously had 48 security cameras and 13 automatic license plate readers across nine parks and facilities, and did not say how many of those were Flock devices. The two accounts agree on a total of 61 pieces of equipment but disagree on how many of them read license plates.
Click2Houston reported that all of the cameras were physically covered as of noon Thursday, which made them unusable, and that Flock Safety was notified of the decommission request and indicated it would take about 48 hours. Community Impact reported that the cameras have been covered and will no longer be used on precinct owned property.
No Vote Was Required
Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin said a vote was not needed for the change, telling Click2Houston that “a vote is not required to change how the devices are operated within the scope of the contract.” Briones acted after consulting the county attorney’s office.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is the designated administrator of the cameras. Click2Houston reported that the office did not identify a specific incident that prompted the shutdown. Neither account says what Precinct 4 pays for the cameras, whether the county will keep paying for them, or how the shutdown affects access to data already collected.
What Happens October 15
County Judge Lina Hidalgo called for the Commissioners Court discussion scheduled for October 15. Community Impact reported that the court is expected to hear a report covering spending on automatic license plate readers, how many there are and where, the technology and its uses, which agencies can reach the data, and how other jurisdictions protect it.
Precinct 4 covers much of western Harris County, so the cameras switched off this week are not in the Lake Houston area. The October 15 discussion is the part that reaches across the county, because it concerns the whole Harris County program rather than one precinct’s equipment. Automatic license plate readers have already surfaced in this year’s county races, including a Harris County judge candidate forum this site has covered.
Reported by Community Impact and Click2Houston.
