Flock-Safety

Somewhere on a highway in Leon County right now, a camera is photographing every vehicle that passes, reading the plate, and writing down where it was and when. There are fourteen of them going up across our county — in Centerville, Buffalo, Jewett, Oakwood, Normangee, Marquez, and Leona. You didn’t vote for them. Most people don’t know they exist. And you’re paying for them. If you’re not sure what an automated license plate reader even is, start here: What Is Flock Safety and an ALPR? The short version is that these aren’t ordinary security cameras — they record everyone’s movements, not just suspects’, and they feed a nationwide network that other agencies can search. ...

Michael and Daniel recap the Texas Republican Convention and public forums in Matagorda and Bay City, then take a hard look at Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers — and the privacy and surveillance questions they raise for Texans.