The Kyle City Council will place a non-binding referendum on the May election ballot to gauge the community’s views on contracts the city holds with Flock for Automated License Plate Readers, or ALPRs, and Drones as First Responders, or DFRs.
At an Oct. 5 meeting, the council voted to suspend the operation of its city-owned cameras until the referendum is voted on and the council decides whether to move forward with the contracts in May.
The overview
Kyle Mayor Yvonne Flores-Cale and council member Melissa Medina brought forward a motion to suspend the use of Flock ALPRs in Kyle until the non-binding referendum has been voted on.
During this period, the existing cameras will be non-operational and will not collect, capture, transmit, or store license plate or vehicle data.
“I strongly support our law enforcement officers and believe that they should have the tools necessary to do their jobs effectively and keep our community safe,” Medina said. “But supporting law enforcement does not mean that we should stop asking questions about the technology that the government uses.”
Medina voiced concern over the ALPRs' connection to a larger issue of government surveillance and how they might collect and track information on community members. She, along with Flores-Cale, emphasized the importance of allowing residents to voice their opinions on the technology through the May election.
“I've talked about the effectiveness and how [ALPRs] impact our crime and all the good things that they've done, but I'm very sympathetic to the considerations given to privacy and security concerns,” said Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett. “As important as a tool as they are to law enforcement, nothing works well without the trust of our community and support of our community.”
The discussion
The council approved the motion to suspend ALPR operations in the city by a 4-3 vote. Along with Medina and Flores-Cale, council members Courtney Goza and Claudia Zapata voted in favor of the motion.
“I am very excited to know that after about a year and a half of advocating, that we are finally making movement on this,” Zapata said.
Council members Lauralee Harris, Marc McKinney and Michael Tobias voted against the motion.
“I am concerned about the police department having the best tools available if I'm assaulted, if my car is stolen or if my home is burglarized,” Harris said. “I want you to catch the offender as soon as possible. We've had many instances since we put the cameras up that they have been extremely useful in times like that.”
Also of note
Zapata previously attempted to call for an amendment to the city’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget that would have canceled two contracts and evaluated one contract between the city and Flock, according to previous Community Impact reporting. The motion failed to get a second and was not discussed or voted on.
Two of the contracts could have been canceled by the council not appropriating funds to them in the FY 2026-27 budget, while the third contract would have required the city to continue payments, said Kyle City Attorney Aimee Alcorn-Reed.
Quote of note
“It's very important to us, as police officers serving this community, to make sure that we maintain trust and support,” Barnett said. “Many citizens have stood here and talked about their concerns about Flock and what they do with the data, but they've always also added their support for their local Kyle Police Department men and women, and we've always appreciated that.”
