League City Public Works crews covered all 55 city-managed Flock cameras with nylon bags on Thursday, Nov. 5, the city confirmed.. The move effectively disabled the automated license plate readers two days after voters rejected their continued use.
Mayor Nick Long asked staff to cover the cameras immediately rather than wait for the formal removal deadline, KHOU reported. The bags are a temporary measure. The city's legal team is working to exit its contract with Flock Safety, but there is no clear timeline for when the cameras will be physically taken down, according to KHOU.
Long said the city cannot physically remove the cameras yet because of the contract, according to Houston Public Media. "We're working on getting out of the contract at the same time, but we're bagging them with kind of nylon bags so they can't take pictures," he said.
Long said the city has about one year left on its Flock Safety contract, Houston Public Media reported separately on Nov. 5. "Worst-case scenario, we'll satisfy the contract and move on," he said.
Voters rejected Proposition A on Nov. 3, with 25,021 voting against keeping the cameras and 21,412 voting to keep them, according to unofficial results reported by the Galveston County Daily News, as we reported Nov. 4. That put opposition at about 54%. The results remain unofficial until the state completes its canvass.
City Council approved a resolution at its Oct. 27 meeting directing staff to remove the cameras within 72 hours of the official canvass of election results at the council's Nov. 17 meeting. Long moved ahead of that deadline by asking staff to cover the cameras right away.
Once covered, the League City Police Department (LCPD) will no longer collect data or share information with outside agencies, according to the city's official statement. Data already collected is automatically purged from the LCPD system after 30 days unless retained as evidence in an active case.
The resolution also directs City Manager John Baumgartner to review the city's agreements with Flock Safety and pursue termination or other adjustments. Any termination agreement requiring council approval will be submitted for consideration, the city said. Staff must also notify homeowners associations that license plate reader cameras must be removed from city rights-of-way.
Long told KHOU that while he acknowledged privacy concerns played a role in the outcome, the cameras had been effective. He said they helped solve more than 300 cases and led to more than 120 convictions. He said the city spent about $120,000 a year on the cameras out of a $400 million budget.
Resident Gregory Van Etten told KHOU the cameras lacked adequate safeguards. "There were just no guardrails put in place when these things were thrown out here," Van Etten said.
The $120,000 annual budget will remain within the police department for reallocation, Long said, according to Houston Public Media. The council's Nov. 17 meeting, when the official canvass is scheduled, will start the 72-hour clock for physical removal of the devices.
