Editor's note: This story has been updated to include information from Flock Safety.
Updated Aug. 26, 1:25 p.m.
On Aug. 26, Pflugerville ISD announced it will discontinue the use of Flock cameras on district property, effective immediately.
“Since the hiring of Police Chief Tyler Smith in December, our police department has been reviewing our Flock camera systems and evaluating whether continued use is appropriate for our district,” PfISD stated in a press release. “Following the City Council's lead and in response to our community's clear direction on this issue, we have decided to halt use of the cameras immediately.”
According to the press release, PfISD has operated Flock cameras at its high schools and the Pfield athletic complex to support safety efforts, including sending real-time alerts to law enforcement when stolen or watch-listed vehicles are detected on district property.
Posted Aug. 25, 11:07 p.m.
Pflugerville officials terminated the city’s contract with Flock Safety during an Aug. 25 City Council meeting.
What happened
Council members voted unanimously to not renew a lease with Flock for automated license plate readers that would have cost $87,500 per year.
Ahead of the vote, City Manager James Hartshorn directed staff to cover the city-leased Flock cameras and turn off the license plate reader system until further direction was given by Council, according to a post on Facebook.
The post stated an issue was discovered in Flock's operating system that permitted nonpartner law enforcement agencies to access the city's Flock data.
Council member Jonathan Coffman said during the meeting that a Pflugerville resident’s review of Flock records raised questions about who could search data collected by the cameras.
In a Facebook post on Aug. 24, Sam Aly said he obtained Flock audit records from the city of Pflugerville through an open-records request. He said he reviewed records from Feb. 16-Aug. 15, and found that outside agencies searched Pflugerville's camera data almost 1.6 million times.
What they’re saying
Council Member Rudy Metayer said Flock has been an unreliable partner for the city.
“We need to get them the hell out of here,” Metayer said to the cheers of attendees at the meeting.
Pflugerville Police Chief Willie Richards spoke on the importance of technology in policing, but said he has identified significant issues that made it difficult to have confidence in Flock.
“Clarity around how we protect community data, uphold expectations of data preservation and maintain security measures is essential, and currently I do not have that clarity,” Richards said. “At this point I cannot recommend renewing [the contract].”
More than a dozen speakers spoke against the Flock contract during public comment, including Austin City Council member Mike Siegel. The city of Austin halted its contract with Flock Safety in June 2025.
“On behalf of the city, I want to thank and congratulate you for joining us in having a Flock-free zone here in Travis County,” Siegel said. “It means a lot taking this step.”
According to Flock Safety
Flock Public Relations Manager Paris Lewbel said in an email Pflugerville participated in Texas’ statewide sharing network, which separate from one-to-one agency sharing. The network allows participating agencies to search across Texas using a full license plate.
Audit logs show Pflugerville had statewide sharing enabled since 2024, and monthly emails provide agencies with details about their sharing relationships and settings, Lewbel said.
Lewbel also said Flock identified two out-of-state agencies that had been mistakenly categorized as Texas agencies and were included in the statewide network.
“We take responsibility for that error, which was corrected months ago,” Lewbel said.
Lewbel said Flock respects the city's decision and appreciates the opportunity the company had to support its public safety efforts.
The background
The Pflugerville Police Department has utilized Flock automated license plate reader cameras since 2022. According to the city, the cameras were located in key areas to capture images of vehicle license plates and do not track people or use facial recognition. City documents state the cameras are not used for immigration enforcement or any other purpose outside of lawful public safety work.
In addition to the city of Austin, San Marcos and Hays County have either opted not to expand or ended contracts with Flock Safety in recent years.
Pflugerville officials delayed a decision about whether to keep the city’s Flock cameras during an Aug. 11 City Council meeting.
