Pflugerville residents will no longer be monitored by automated license plate reader cameras after the City Council voted unanimously to terminate its agreement with Flock Safety. The decision means 28 cameras that have tracked vehicle movements since 2020 will be turned off, with physical coverings already placed on the devices starting August 25.
The council's action blocks a proposed two-year contract renewal that would have continued the camera lease with updated privacy and security policies. Instead, city staff will disable all access to the automated license plate reader system.
Mayor Doug Weiss stated that public safety and community trust must operate together, and that recent revelations about the Flock system have generated significant concern among residents. He emphasized the city cannot work with vendors it cannot trust, though the council remains committed to finding other tools to assist law enforcement.
Pflugerville Police Chief Willie Richards acknowledged the technology's investigative value and described its effectiveness during critical incidents. However, he said the department has lost confidence that the vendor's safeguards and settings function as intended, particularly regarding data and privacy standards.
The council's decision represents a shift in how Pflugerville approaches surveillance technology. During a worksession discussion, council members reaffirmed their focus on data privacy and introduced the city's first data governance standards for what officials call Secure, Accountable, Fair and Explainable technology use.
Under the proposed SAFE policy framework, the city intends to establish standards for protecting municipal data and confidential information. The policy aims to pair human judgment with technological outputs while ensuring transparency and requiring council approval before implementing high-risk systems such as license plate readers.
The council will vote on the new data governance policy at a future meeting. A recording of the council meeting is available online.
The decision affects Pflugerville residents and anyone who travels through the city, as the removal of the cameras eliminates a tracking system that has operated for four years. The termination contrasts with the police department's assessment of the technology's crime-fighting utility, illustrating tension between law enforcement capabilities and community privacy concerns.
Source: This report is based on information published by City of Pflugerville.
