Texas Now Taking Aim at LPR
Texas State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst is calling for an outright ban on automated license plate readers, saying the technology used by Flock Safety cameras has created what she describes as a network of warrantless mass surveillance. Kolkhorst says the Texas Senate will take up the issue when the 90th Texas Legislature convenes in January, with lawmakers already discussing an outright ALPR ban.
Her comments come less than a week after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered Texas state agencies to stop using state funding for Flock cameras. That decision followed growing scrutiny over the state’s role in financing the expansion of the network. The Texas Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority has helped fund at least 3,200 Flock cameras since 2023, while nearly 1,200 additional cameras have been installed by the Texas Department of Public Safety through a state-funded contract.
And the consequences are already showing up locally. Dallas Police announced this week that 321 Flock cameras supported by affected state grant money will be shut down September 15, while more than 300 cameras funded directly by the city will remain operational.
For the repossession industry, this still isn’t a ban on private commercial LPR or a prohibition against using LPR to locate collateral. But Texas is now following the same pattern we’re seeing in Florida and Pennsylvania: government officials are questioning networked LPR, restricting public funding, and—at least in Texas—beginning to openly discuss eliminating the technology altogether.
That’s a significant escalation.
Florida is taking cameras off state roads. Texas has stopped state funding and now has a senator calling for an outright ban. Pennsylvania’s governor has expressed support for banning Flock and similar systems.
