Pearland City Council reviewed the city’s use of Flock Safety license plate-reading cameras during its Oct. 19 special workshop, discussing the technology’s role in criminal investigations and concerns about data sharing.
What residents need to know
Flock Safety cameras capture still images of vehicle license plates and visible vehicle characteristics, including a vehicle’s color, make, body style and distinguishing features such as roof racks, city documents show.
Pearland began partnering with Flock Safety in early 2022, with its first cameras installed in summer 2022, city documents show.
Pearland's Police Department has access to 112 cameras across the city, including:
31 city cameras
48 cameras operated by homeowners associations
31 cameras operated by private entities
2 Alvin ISD cameras located at Shadow Creek High School
Diving in deeper
The cameras alert law enforcement when a license plate matches a hot list, which can include vehicles reported stolen or linked to missing-person cases.
“The officer is still responsible for crafting probable cause to stop the vehicle. The [hot list] is not justification alone for stopping a vehicle,” Pearland Police Chief Derek Dunham said.
Authorized users include officers, dispatchers and crime analysts, all of whom must complete training and use individual logins protected by two-factor authentication, documents show.
Additionally, Pearland disabled Flock’s nationwide data-sharing feature in September after discovering that about 63% of searches over the previous year came from out-of-state agencies, as previously reported by Community Impact.
The department began auditing searches in mid-2023, initially conducting quarterly reviews before moving to monthly randomized audits. Supervisors check whether searches are lawful, supported by a case number and relevant to the associated investigation, city documents show.
In their own words
Two Pearland residents spoke in support of the cameras, describing them as one of several tools available to police.
Several council members also expressed support for exploring an independent, third-party audit system to help prevent misuse of the technology.
“Residents have the right to know how their information is being used, and how the city is protecting their data,” council member Rushi Patel said.
