Texas Constable Takes Action Against Flock Cameras

A Texas constable has disabled Flock cameras in his area, citing privacy concerns and what he describes as “warrantless tracking.” Hood County Constable John D. Shirley publicly posted photos showing cameras covered, reigniting the debate across Texas over whether automated license plate readers provide valuable public-safety tools or go too far with vehicle surveillance.

Hood County Constable John D. Shirley decided to unplug and cover Flock cameras in his area. But he didn't want to stop there, he wanted to make sure people knew about it so he posted pictures online covering an unspecified number of cameras this past weekend.

READ MORE: Texas Laws on Damaging Flock Safety Cameras

What Are Flock Cameras Actually Used For?

Flock cameras are automated license plate readers (ALPR) designed to capture vehicle details for law enforcement and community safety purposes.

But there are many Texans who feel the same way Constable Shirley does, he was quoted as saying, " they're constantly scanning and recording regular folks just going about their day" and that the kind of "warrantless tracking" they engage in does not belong in a free society.

The constable went on to tell the Flock organization to " come get your garbage out of my county."

There are well over 65,000 people who have liked the post, so the constable has a lot of people on his side when it comes to Flock cameras.

If you want to know if you've ever been captured by a Flock camera, there are details on how you can see that here.

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Are Flock Cameras Helpful or an Invasion of Privacy?

Let me know your thoughts on Flock cameras. Do you think they are beneficial to law enforcement and should remain in place or are they an invasion of privacy. Send me an email with your thoughts at billy.jenkins@townsquaremedia.com.