Bastrop ends Flock contract, bans future surveillance deals

Bastrop City Council on Sept. 8 approved the immediate termination of the city’s Flock Safety contract and prohibited future agreements with any company for similar vehicle-surveillance systems.

The vote followed calls from residents to end the city’s use of the technology rather than switch providers.

What happened

During council discussions, Mayor Pro Tem John Kirkland suggested requiring council approval for agreements with any license plate reader provider going forward—not just Flock.

Council Member Cynthia Meyer then made a broader motion, prohibiting the city from entering into, renewing or replacing contracts for automated license plate recognition or any vehicle-surveillance systems that collect, retain, track, analyze or share vehicle-location data.

City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino confirmed the city would terminate the agreement immediately rather than wait for it to expire.

The backstory

During a Sept. 1 council workshop, members directed city staff to cover the city’s Flock cameras and bring the contract back for a termination vote, as previously reported by Community Impact.

Carrillo-Trevino noted on Sept. 8 that six of the city’s 12 cameras had already been vandalized and were inoperable, and confirmed the remaining six were covered by Sept. 2.

Officials had initially considered additional safeguards, such as a shorter data retention period.

Police Chief Vicky Steffanic said the department had not experienced misuse or misconduct involving Flock; however, residents continued raising privacy concerns.

What they’re saying

Mayor Ishmael Harris said the technology had proved it could help law enforcement, but residents' worries about privacy, data collection and access to personal information prompted the council’s reconsideration.

"Public safety will always be a concern, and public trust is definitely an important thing for us," he said. "We can’t move forward without public trust."