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Dallas Police to Deactivate 321 Flock Cameras Following State Funding Pause

Dallas police will deactivate 321 Flock cameras by September 15, following a directive from the administration to pause state agency funding for the technology. The administration announced that the funding change occurred after a meeting with state officials. While the administration paused funding, the Dallas City Council did not approve a proposal to eliminate the entire city's Flock camera network. Instead, the city will maintain more than 300 cameras in operation. The cameras are an AI-powered license plate reader system used to identify vehicles connected to criminal activity. Law enforcement agencies have described the technology as a vital investigative tool for solving crimes, including homicides. However, the system has faced scrutiny due to allegations of police misuse and concerns regarding public oversight. The administration's decision to pause funding follows reports of data misuse, such as the indictment of a Lufkin police officer for improperly accessing Flock information. To address these concerns, Flock Safety announced new safeguards requiring users to provide more information when searching the database and an auditing tool to flag improper searches.

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