Mayor Nick Long wants League City residents to have a formal say in how the city's license-plate-reading cameras are monitored.
Long announced Tuesday, July 28, that he will propose an ordinance creating a citizen oversight committee to audit the League City Police Department's use of Flock Safety cameras. The committee would work with the City Auditor to verify the department's compliance with its Flock contract and ensure data privacy, Long said in a statement posted to his official X account.
Long called the cameras a cost-effective tool that has helped LCPD solve murders and dismantle organized theft rings. He also acknowledged the technology carries significant privacy concerns and pointed to troubling abuses at other agencies nationwide.
No abuse has occurred locally, Long said.
Long's statement followed LCPD's Friday, July 24, announcement of the arrest of Claudia Ivonne Higuera-Torres, 52, of Houston, in a $400,000 organized retail theft case in which Flock cameras played what the department called a critical role. As we reported July 28, the investigation recovered more than 15,000 stolen items from retailers including Sephora, Kohl's, Target, and Walmart.
Flock Safety was also credited in a separate June 2 LCPD case that dismantled a statewide Best Buy theft ring involving more than $260,000 in losses across Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin.
National scrutiny
Long's proposal arrives during a wave of national concern over Flock camera misuse. CNN reported Sunday, July 26, that at least two dozen officers nationwide have resigned or been arrested for allegedly using the system to stalk romantic interests, according to a tally by the Institute for Justice. In July 2026 alone, five Albany, Georgia, officers were arrested and fired for misusing Flock, and two officers in Greer, South Carolina, were fired for the same reason.
The Aspen, Colorado, Police Department announced Monday, July 27, that it was scrapping its Flock contract entirely after community pushback. Flock Safety operates roughly 120,000 cameras nationwide and works with more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies, according to CNN.
"While we have had no incidents of abuse in League City, and I have the utmost confidence in our officers, there have been numerous high profile and troubling abuses across the country," Long wrote. He said the League City contract contains safeguards to prevent data abuse but stressed the importance of regular monitoring and audits, describing the proposed committee as "first of its kind."
What's next
Long said the proposed ordinance will be discussed over the next 30 days in open meetings, and citizen feedback will be encouraged. No specific meeting date has been announced for the first reading. Residents can follow updates through the city's public meeting agendas at leaguecitytx.gov.
