Flock cameras are disappearing almost as quickly as they came to Texas.
Across the state, roughly 20 cities and counties have now de-flocked-cutting ties with Flock Safety, taking cameras offline or refusing to renew contracts. Chron has compiled a list of every Texas community that has made a move against the controversial surveillance technology.
Flock cameras are designed to track license plates on vehicles associated with crime using artificial intelligence. While proven to help aid in investigations relating to kidnapping and theft, the rapid deployment of the cameras across the state has fueled intense backlash amongst citizens who fear the cameras can unjustly track a person's whereabouts.
Recent cases of officers abusing the technology have validated such fears. In Texas, several law enforcement officers have been fired, resigned or face criminal charges for using the technology to track people they know in their personal life, particularly female romantic partners.
The heightened controversy has led Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to block state funding for grants cities used to pay for the cameras.
"Texans deserve clarity about how these cities and counties are using them. Citizens are concerned about their Fourth Amendment right," said Abbott, "Whether it be through cancellation of contracts or whatever the case may be, the Flock cameras are being reduced dramatically, and they're going to be required to be used responsibly if they're used at all."
Here are the cities and counties that have terminated Flock agreements, declined to renew contracts, taken cameras offline or otherwise pulled back from the technology.
San Marcos was the first Texas city to make a major move against Flock.
In June 2025, the city voted to stop sharing Flock data with other law enforcement agencies across the country. Six months later, the San Marcos City Council went further, voting to discontinue its contract with Flock Safety altogether.
The city allowed its Flock contract to lapse on June 30, 2025, after months of scrutiny from residents and elected officials who questioned how the data was maintained and shared, particularly with agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In October 2025, Hays County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 to end all Flock safety contracts after growing concerns, similar to the ones cited in Austin and San Marcos relating to privacy and data sharing.
Hood County Commissioners voted to terminate the county's Flock contract in April following years of issues relating to privacy concerns and unfulfilled contractual obligations. Hood County Constable John Shirley gained favorable social media attention in August after posting a series of photos of Flock cameras being covered up and taken offline.
The small Hill Country town of Bandera terminated its Flock contract in May. The termination, however, did not go down without a fight, prompting one councilmember who did not agree to publish a "Bandera Declaration of Digital Independence," citing that if the cameras go, all phones and GPS-capable devices should be eliminated too.
Aransas Pass, in the Texas coastal bend region, voted 4-1 in July to terminate its Flock agreement, citing resident concerns and cases of misuse in other Texas cities.
Burnet County in central Texas removed all of its Flock cameras in early August following a string of vandalism incidents but has not terminated their contract, which will expire in March 2027.
Vandalism was also a factor in Guadalupe County's decision to end its Flock contract. County Commissioners said the cost of repairing damaged cameras would outweigh the cost of exiting the agreement.
Lago Vista City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 6 to remove the city's Flock cameras following residential backlash.
City of Magnolia announced on Aug. 11 that they would not be renewing their Flock contract. Regarding the decision, Magnolia Mayor Chris Blair wrote, "The City of Magnolia has made the decision not to renew the Flock contract. Public safety is important, but so is public trust."
Kendall County commissioners voted unanimously Aug. 25 not to renew the county's Flock contract.
The decision followed a resident-led petition opposing the technology that collected more than 1,000 signatures.
The City of Pflugerville ended its agreement with Flock after officials discovered the company allowed non-partner law enforcement agencies to access the city's Flock data.
"Public safety and public trust have to go hand in hand, and recent revelations about the Flock system have fueled concerns throughout the community; we can't engage with organizations we can't trust," said Pflugerville Mayor Doug Weiss amid the Aug. 25 vote.
That same night, Wylie City Council voted unanimously 7-0 to not renew its Flock contract. The city had six cameras installed, and their contract is set to expire in October.
Robinson City Council in McLennan County voted Tuesday to shut down its agreement with Flock after a year of use. Upon the final vote, Robinson Police Department was immediately directed to deactivate the Flock system.
Bastrop City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to immediately cover all 12 of their cameras. They are expected to vote on the cancellation of their contract at a council meeting next week.
Dallas is taking a more limited approach to de-flocking.
The Dallas Police Department announced Wednesday that it will remove 321 of the roughly 600 Flock cameras positioned around the city.
The 321 cameras had been financed through state funding grants, which have since been frozen following Abbott's order. Recent reports indicate Dallas City Council still remains on board with maintaining their contract.
Amid a contentious, late-night Leander City Council meeting on Thursday, officials were not able to come to a final vote on the removal of the Flock cameras but did indicate that they would be freezing the system for now.
On Thursday, Elgin Police Chief Chris Noble notified city officials that they have suspended the department's use of Flock's license plate reader system, citing concerns about public trust; coupled with Gov. Greg Abbott's recent freeze on state funding for the technology, prompted the move.
Stating that "community trust in law enforcement is paramount," Manor Police Chief Ryan Phipps announced on Thursday that the department would be unplugging their ten cameras from the system, according to reports from KVUE.
On Friday, El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas uploaded an announcement on his Facebook that the department would be halting its use of state-funded license plate readers due to Abbott's order. Chief Pacillas's statement also included a subtle warning regarding the removal, stating, "Restricting these devices shifts our work back to manual investigative methods, impacting overall response times."
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This article originally published at Flock cameras are rapidly disappearing across Texas. Here's where.