HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has called for a special meeting to examine how the county uses and oversees Flock license-plate reader cameras after officials renewed the county’s contract with the company without adding privacy protections she requested.
Hidalgo said the county renewed the Flock contract in May but did not include the privacy guardrails she believes the program needs. She said residents deserve a public discussion about the technology and how authorities use the data it collects.
In a Saturday post, Hidalgo called for greater transparency about the program, including the number of license-plate readers operating in Harris County, their locations and the law enforcement agencies that can access their data.
She also wants officials to determine whether the collected information can be obtained through public records requests.
Hidalgo acknowledged that Flock cameras can help authorities save lives and investigate crimes. However, she said the county should establish appropriate oversight before continuing the programs under the current contract.
She wants residents, county officials and representatives from the companies involved to participate in the discussion.
The Harris County Commissioners Court has a special meeting scheduled Tuesday, but officials posted the meeting before Hidalgo made her request. The current agenda focuses largely on the county budget and tax rates and does not include Flock cameras.
Hidalgo said she wants the county to schedule a separate meeting focused on the license-plate reader program. The county has not yet set a date for that meeting.
