Mayor Nick Long took his push for a Flock Safety camera referendum to television, telling ABC13 he wants League City voters to decide the surveillance program's fate in November.
The council will vote Tuesday, Aug. 11, on whether to place the automatic license plate reader question on the Nov. 3 ballot. If the seven council members approve, residents will cast the final vote on whether the city keeps its network of Flock cameras.
Long said on X that he spoke with ABC13 that afternoon about the agenda item, writing that if the council approves it, "voters will have the opportunity to vote in November on if they want these" cameras in League City. The post cut off mid-sentence.
As we reported Aug. 4, Long announced the referendum item that week.
What the cameras do
Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company, manufactures automated license plate reader cameras that capture plate numbers, vehicle color, make and model using machine learning. Records are deleted after 30 days by default, according to the Texas Tribune. More than 200 Texas law enforcement agencies share Flock data with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The cameras have drawn both praise and backlash. League City police credited the system as "critical" to a July 2026 investigation that recovered more than $400,000 in stolen merchandise and led to a first-degree felony organized retail theft arrest. LCPD Assistant Chief Stephen Antley said in a July 24 news release that "through strong partnerships, advanced technology, and relentless investigative work, the BDU was able to identify those responsible and bring a significant criminal operation to an end."
Nationally, at least 47 cities have terminated Flock contracts over privacy and data-sharing concerns, according to DeFlock, an anti-surveillance group. Texas cities Austin and Bandera are among those that ended their agreements.
How to weigh in
The council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, at Council Chambers, 200 W. Walker St. A budget workshop begins at 5 p.m. Residents who want to speak during public comment must sign up on a sheet outside the chambers before the meeting starts and state their first and last name and home address. The meeting can also be watched live on the city's Facebook page or on Channel 16 replays at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily.
