cbsaustin.com · September 4, 2026
DPS pauses new Flock camera installations after Abbott funding clarification
# DPS pauses new Flock camera installations after Abbott funding clarification
by Bettie Cross
Fri, September 4, 2026 at 7:14 PM
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Texas Department of Public Safety officials say they have paused the installation of additional Flock license-plate reader cameras statewide after Governor Greg Abbott’s office said Texas agency funding cannot be used for the technology. DPS says roughly 900 cameras are already operating across the state, and the department has not said whether the governor’s funding clarification will affect that existing network. (Photo: Bettie Cross)
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Department of Public Safety officials say they have paused the installation of additional Flock license-plate reader cameras statewide after Governor Greg Abbott’s office said Texas agency funding cannot be used for the technology.
DPS says roughly 900 cameras are already operating across the state, and the department has not said whether the governor’s funding clarification will affect that existing network.
The governor’s press secretary said, “To the extent any funding comes from Texas agencies, those agencies are clarifying that those funds cannot be used for Flock cameras.”
That statement raises new questions because DPS says it has already spent about $11 million in state-authorized funding on its camera network. The department says the money came from the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, which was established by the Texas Legislature.
"I was very frustrated to learn that, yeah, they've spent over $11 million for over 1,000 cameras, which, by the way, if you do the math on that, that's about $9,000 a camera," said State Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Waxahachie.
DPS says the cameras help investigators locate suspects, missing people and stolen property.
State Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Waxahachie, has been a vocal critic of the technology.
"I'm going to continue pushing legislation along the lines of what I've been pushing so far, which is to at least require a warrant. But I do think in the next legislative session, we need to have a very real discussion about whether these things should be banned altogether," said Harrison.
DPS says it is also tightening access to its camera network. Under the new policy, only law-enforcement agencies with signed agreements can search DPS data and images.
Previously, agencies without agreements could search for specific license-plate numbers.
For now, DPS says its existing cameras will remain in operation. Texas lawmakers could take up possible changes when the next legislative session begins in January 2027.