SIGNALDATAAccountability. For the People. Preview
License-plate readers · Bell County

Bell County

Using license-plate readers · 2 agencies documented

← Statewide map
Anderson CountyAndrews CountyAngelina CountyAransas CountyArcher CountyArmstrong CountyAtascosa CountyAustin CountyBailey CountyBandera CountyBastrop CountyBaylor CountyBee CountyBell CountyBexar CountyBlanco CountyBorden CountyBosque CountyBowie CountyBrazoria CountyBrazos CountyBrewster CountyBriscoe CountyBrooks CountyBrown CountyBurleson CountyBurnet CountyCaldwell CountyCalhoun CountyCallahan CountyCameron CountyCamp CountyCarson CountyCass CountyCastro CountyChambers CountyCherokee CountyChildress CountyClay CountyCochran CountyCoke CountyColeman CountyCollin CountyCollingsworth CountyColorado CountyComal CountyComanche CountyConcho CountyCooke CountyCoryell CountyCottle CountyCrane CountyCrockett CountyCrosby CountyCulberson CountyDallam CountyDallas CountyDawson CountyDeaf Smith CountyDelta CountyDenton CountyDeWitt CountyDickens CountyDimmit CountyDonley CountyDuval CountyEastland CountyEctor CountyEdwards CountyEl Paso CountyEllis CountyErath CountyFalls CountyFannin CountyFayette CountyFisher CountyFloyd CountyFoard CountyFort Bend CountyFranklin CountyFreestone CountyFrio CountyGaines CountyGalveston CountyGarza CountyGillespie CountyGlasscock CountyGoliad CountyGonzales CountyGray CountyGrayson CountyGregg CountyGrimes CountyGuadalupe CountyHale CountyHall CountyHamilton CountyHansford CountyHardeman CountyHardin CountyHarris CountyHarrison CountyHartley CountyHaskell CountyHays CountyHemphill CountyHenderson CountyHidalgo CountyHill CountyHockley CountyHood CountyHopkins CountyHouston CountyHoward CountyHudspeth CountyHunt CountyHutchinson CountyIrion CountyJack CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJeff Davis CountyJefferson CountyJim Hogg CountyJim Wells CountyJohnson CountyJones CountyKarnes CountyKaufman CountyKendall CountyKenedy CountyKent CountyKerr CountyKimble CountyKing CountyKinney CountyKleberg CountyKnox CountyLa Salle CountyLamar CountyLamb CountyLampasas CountyLavaca CountyLee CountyLeon CountyLiberty CountyLimestone CountyLipscomb CountyLive Oak CountyLlano CountyLoving CountyLubbock CountyLynn CountyMadison CountyMarion CountyMartin CountyMason CountyMatagorda CountyMaverick CountyMcCulloch CountyMcLennan CountyMcMullen CountyMedina CountyMenard CountyMidland CountyMilam CountyMills CountyMitchell CountyMontague CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyMorris CountyMotley CountyNacogdoches CountyNavarro CountyNewton CountyNolan CountyNueces CountyOchiltree CountyOldham CountyOrange CountyPalo Pinto CountyPanola CountyParker CountyParmer CountyPecos CountyPolk CountyPotter CountyPresidio CountyRains CountyRandall CountyReagan CountyReal CountyRed River CountyReeves CountyRefugio CountyRoberts CountyRobertson CountyRockwall CountyRunnels CountyRusk CountySabine CountySan Augustine CountySan Jacinto CountySan Patricio CountySan Saba CountySchleicher CountyScurry CountyShackelford CountyShelby CountySherman CountySmith CountySomervell CountyStarr CountyStephens CountySterling CountyStonewall CountySutton CountySwisher CountyTarrant CountyTaylor CountyTerrell CountyTerry CountyThrockmorton CountyTitus CountyTom Green CountyTravis CountyTrinity CountyTyler CountyUpshur CountyUpton CountyUvalde CountyVal Verde CountyVan Zandt CountyVictoria CountyWalker CountyWaller CountyWard CountyWashington CountyWebb CountyWharton CountyWheeler CountyWichita CountyWilbarger CountyWillacy CountyWilliamson CountyWilson CountyWinkler CountyWise CountyWood CountyYoakum CountyYoung CountyZapata CountyZavala County

Killeen Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety, Axon
Cameras
76
76 Flock cameras in total (69 license-plate readers and 7 live-view cameras without plate reading), per the department as reported by the Killeen Daily Herald (Sept. 13, 2026). The Flock transparency portal listed 32 cameras when it was last updated Nov. 19, 2025.
Contract
Flock Safety: $482,250 total, paid in two installments · from 2025 · approved by Killeen City Council March 4, 2025 · Unanimous approval, per the Killeen Daily Herald. The article gives the installments as $267,250 in 2025 and $221,000 in 2026, which add to $488,250, not $482,250. The article says the cost combines city and grant funds; the chief described a 'Crime Prevention grant' application of $40,000 with a required general-fund match of $100,000, which he called a 20% match (the figures do not reconcile). (Killeen Daily Herald, March 4, 2025)
Contract
Axon: $21,000,000 ten-year total ("more than $21 million") · from Jan. 1, 2027 · approved by Killeen City Council Oct. 2026 · Unanimous approval of a 10-year Axon agreement that combines earlier Axon agreements and covers license plate readers and drones, per the Killeen Daily Herald (Oct. 12, 2026). The meeting was the Thursday before publication. (Killeen Daily Herald, Oct. 12, 2026)
Data sharing
The department's Flock transparency portal (last updated Nov. 19, 2025) lists several hundred outside federal, state and local agencies with access; an automated tally counted about 797. It lists immigration enforcement among prohibited uses and gives 30-day retention.
  1. March 4, 2025 Council unanimously approved Flock plate-reader cameras for $482,250. The chief said camera locations would not be made public. (Killeen Daily Herald, March 4, 2025)
  2. May 2025 KXXV reported the city was rolling out Flock cameras, with full deployment expected within about 60 days. (KXXV, May 9, 2025)
  3. Nov. 19, 2025 The Flock transparency portal (last updated that day) listed 32 cameras, 30-day retention, and 501 searches and 1,343 hotlist hits in the prior 30 days. (Flock Safety (agency portal), Nov. 19, 2025)
  4. Aug. 2026 Per the Texas Tribune's grant review, Killeen used $400,000 in state vehicle-crime grant money for 76 Flock cameras. (The Texas Tribune, Aug. 28, 2026; KWTX, Aug. 30, 2026)
  5. Sept. 13, 2026 The Killeen Daily Herald published camera locations obtained through an open-records request. Council members said they would meet with police for briefings on Flock. (Killeen Daily Herald, Sept. 13, 2026)
  6. Oct. 2026 Council unanimously approved a 10-year Axon agreement worth more than $21 million, starting Jan. 1, 2027, that includes license plate readers. The chief said data sharing is permission-based and federal access "is not automatic." (Killeen Daily Herald, Oct. 12, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Camera count conflict: 32 on the Flock portal (Nov. 2025) vs. 76 per the department (KDH, Sept. 2026) and the Tribune grant table.
  • No reported response to the August 2026 state funding cut. The Axon deal suggests plate readers may move to Axon from 2027; whether the Flock cameras stay is not reported.
  • Portal source: tx4-killeen-portal.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Temple Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
193
193 cameras in use per the department's Flock transparency portal, as reported by the Temple Daily Telegram (Aug. 31, 2026). A copy of the portal read Oct. 17, 2026 showed 45 cameras with a last-updated date of Sept. 6, 2025.
Data sharing
The Flock transparency portal lists several hundred outside agencies with access; an automated tally counted about 616, including federal agencies (the FBI entry is marked inactive). It lists immigration enforcement among prohibited uses and gives 30-day retention.
  1. 2022 Department began using Flock in 2022, per KXXV. (KXXV, June 7, 2026)
  2. Sept. 6, 2025 The Flock transparency portal (last updated that day) listed 45 cameras, 30-day retention, and 807 searches and 2,138 hotlist hits in the prior 30 days. (Flock Safety (agency portal), Sept. 6, 2025)
  3. May 2026 KXXV reported the city made another investment in Flock in May 2026 and that data is kept 30 days. (KXXV, June 7, 2026)
  4. Aug. 2026 Under Chief Coy Brown, the department audits the system twice a month, per KXXV. (KXXV, Aug. 23, 2026)
  5. Aug. 18, 2026 An internal audit flagged a Flock search that did not appear to be authorized. Internal Affairs found it had no legitimate law-enforcement purpose. The officer, who was not named, was placed on leave and resigned, and the department asked the Texas Rangers to investigate. (KWTX (via KBTX), Aug. 21, 2026; KXXV, Aug. 23, 2026)
  6. Aug. 28, 2026 Per the Texas Tribune's grant review, Temple used $875,029 in state grant money for 107 Flock cameras. A police crime analyst said state grants fund 84% of the city's Flock cameras. (The Texas Tribune, Aug. 28, 2026; Temple Daily Telegram and The Texas Tribune (via Killeen Daily Herald), Aug. 31, 2026)
  7. Aug. 31, 2026 The Telegram reported Temple refused to release camera locations, citing threats to officers. The mayor defended the cameras at a council meeting. (Temple Daily Telegram and The Texas Tribune (via Killeen Daily Herald), Aug. 31, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Camera count conflict: 193 (portal per Telegram, Aug. 2026) vs. 107 grant-funded (Tribune) vs. 45 on the portal copy read Oct. 17, 2026 (dated Sept. 2025). The portal copy may be stale.
  • With 84% of cameras grant-funded, the August 2026 state funding cut affects most of the network, but no city response was found.
  • Portal source: tx4-temple-portal.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Statewide

  1. 2023 The Legislature unanimously passed a $1 increase to the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority fee on auto insurance policies, aimed at catalytic converter theft. The Texas Tribune estimated it raised about $81 million and found at least $30 million of it went to Flock cameras (at least 3,200 cameras) through grants; sponsors Sen. Carol Alvarado and Rep. Jeff Leach told the Tribune cameras were not discussed when the bill passed. (The Texas Tribune, Aug. 28, 2026)
  2. July 10, 2024 DPS sent Flock Safety a cease-and-desist letter saying the company lacked the private security license required under the Private Security Act. The complaint that started the inquiry was filed by a Baytown resident. (The Galveston County Daily News, Sept. 25, 2024; The Galveston County Daily News, Sept. 30, 2024)
  3. Oct. 2024 DPS licensed Flock, whose private plate readers served homeowners associations, businesses and homes. The Texan reported Flock kept operating those cameras while licensing was pending, and that a DPS report noted a 2021 finding of unlicensed alarm-installer work without indicating any penalty. (The Texan, Oct. 10, 2024)
  4. 2025 Two 2025 bills to regulate ALPR use did not advance: HB 961 (Rep. Brian Harrison; warrant or court order, violent-crime use only, destruction of unrelated data, published policies) and HB 2083 (Rep. John Bucy; 48-hour default destruction, no sharing with the federal government, private right of action). Both were referred to the House Homeland Security, Public Safety and Veterans' Affairs committee and got no hearing, per Texas Policy Research. The same source says Texas has no ALPR-specific statutory framework. (Texas Legislature, date not shown; Texas Policy Research, date not shown)
  5. May 2025 404 Media reported in May 2025 that a Johnson County Sheriff's Office search of Flock's nationwide network covered more than 83,000 cameras in a case involving a woman who had a self-managed abortion. Sheriff Adam King said it was about her safety, and Flock said she was sought as a missing person. EFF later obtained Flock audit logs and court records (reported Oct. 7, 2025) showing a first search of 1,295 networks (17,684 cameras) and a second of 6,809 networks (83,345 cameras), both logged with the reason "had an abortion, search for female," and an affidavit describing a death investigation of a non-viable fetus. The district attorney's office told deputies she could not be charged. (Electronic Frontier Foundation, Oct. 7, 2025; The Record (Recorded Future News), Oct. 7, 2025)
  6. Aug. 27, 2026 Gov. Greg Abbott directed state agencies to stop funding Flock cameras; spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said state agency funds "cannot be used for Flock cameras." Some outlets date the order Aug. 27 and others Aug. 28. Existing locally funded cameras are not covered. (Texas Public Radio (The Texas Tribune), Aug. 29, 2026; The Texas Tribune, Aug. 28, 2026; Dallas Express, Sept. 7, 2026; Good Good Good (The Texas Tribune), Sept. 1, 2026)
  7. Sept. 8, 2026 TxDOT stopped issuing permits for Flock and other plate readers on state roads at the governor's direction, including approved agreements not yet installed. Existing cameras, including more than 900 operated by DPS, were not affected. The Sept. 8 start date comes from a Schertz police presentation, not TxDOT. (The Texas Tribune, Sept. 17, 2026)
  8. Sept. 24, 2026 The Texas Tribune counted at least 900 Flock cameras shut off across at least 14 cities and counties since state funding ended. Dallas Express counted at least 23 local governments that ended, declined, suspended or reduced Flock use as of Sept. 6. (San Antonio Current (The Texas Tribune), Sept. 24, 2026; Dallas Express, Sept. 7, 2026)
  9. Oct. 5, 2026 The Texas Tribune reported agencies were charging large fees for Flock records or withholding them: North Richland Hills invoiced $2.3 million up front, Irving was reported charging $70,000, one agency quoted KPRC $121,000, and DPS stopped releasing search data and asked the Attorney General for a ruling. The Tribune counted 60 Texas agencies with Flock transparency portals, 16 of which publish search records. (The Texas Tribune, Oct. 5, 2026)
  10. Sept. 2026 A Lufkin police officer was sentenced to 5 years after pleading guilty to 100 felony counts of abuse of official information involving Flock searches, per the Texas Tribune. (Lufkin is in Angelina County, outside this assignment's county list.) (The Texas Tribune, Oct. 5, 2026)
  11. Oct. 9, 2026 Reps. Brian Harrison and Mitch Little said they plan to file bills to ban the devices in the session that begins in January 2027; Harris County Pct. 4 Constable Mark Herman has asked state officials to put Flock regulation on the agenda. (The Texas Tribune, Aug. 28, 2026; FOX 26 Houston, Oct. 9, 2026)

State agencies

Texas Department of Public Safety

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
940
At least 940 DPS cameras installed as of Sept. 2, 2026, per a DPS email shared by a lawmaker (Texas Tribune). DPS told KEYE roughly 900; Rep. Brian Harrison cited over 1,000. DPS does not publish a total.
Contract
Flock Safety: $15,900,000 three-year total · from 2025 · approved by Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority 2025 · Contract between MVCPA and DPS for 1,183 proposed cameras, funded by the auto-insurance fee. (The Texas Tribune, Aug. 28, 2026; The Texas Tribune, Sept. 4, 2026)
Contract
Flock Safety: $3,000,000 one-year · from Aug. 2026 · approved by Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority Aug. 2026 · Approved for 583 more cameras on seven toll roads; status after the Aug. 27 funding order not reported. (The Texas Tribune, Aug. 28, 2026; The Texas Tribune, Sept. 4, 2026)
Contract
Flock Safety: $28,500,000 total (term not reported) · The Texas Tribune reports a $28.5 million DPS Flock contract without giving term or funding. A Tribune/Waco Bridge story cites a $26 million Flock contract approved in 2025 for state roads and Operation Lone Star; the relationship between the figures is unclear. (The Texas Tribune, Aug. 28, 2026; KSAT (The Texas Tribune / The Waco Bridge), Aug. 3, 2026)
Data sharing
Per Texas Tribune reporting (not a DPS policy page): 206 Texas agencies had signed data-sharing agreements by July 2026; in June 2026 about 615,000 searches came from 3,075 agencies, 2,679 of them out of state. On Sept. 3, 2026, DPS said only agencies with signed agreements may search.
  1. 2025 The Texas Tribune and KSAT reported DPS cameras on state roads support Operation Lone Star and were installed under TxDOT permits. (KSAT (The Texas Tribune / The Waco Bridge), Aug. 3, 2026)
  2. June 2026 Texas Tribune analysis: roughly 615,000 searches of the DPS network in June; 48% from outside Texas; Houston police ran about 13%; DPS's own officers just under 9%; 111 searches cited immigration-related reasons. (The Texas Tribune, Sept. 4, 2026)
  3. Sept. 3, 2026 DPS paused new installations after the governor's funding order while keeping existing cameras in use, and limited all searches to agencies with signed agreements. (KEYE CBS Austin, Sept. 4, 2026; The Texas Tribune, Sept. 4, 2026)
  4. Oct. 2026 DPS stopped releasing search logs it had earlier given the Tribune and asked the Attorney General to let it withhold them; it has also challenged requests for camera locations. (The Texas Tribune, Oct. 5, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Contract amounts differ across outlets ($15.9M MVCPA contract, $28.5M separate contract, $26M 'Lone Star' contract); DPS contract documents not pulled.
  • DPS did not say how recurring Flock costs will be paid without state money.
  • Some event dates here are inferred from weekday references (such as “Tuesday”) in news reports; confirm from meeting records.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.