Harris County commissioners will review the county's Flock camera surveillance network at their Thursday, Oct. 15 meeting. The hearing carries direct stakes for Katy and Fulshear, where local police also use the technology.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo directed the Office of County Administration to prepare the report after residents raised privacy concerns at the Sept. 17 Commissioners Court meeting, The Katy News reported. The report must detail how many cameras exist, where they are, who can access the data, how many times the data has been searched and total county spending on the technology.

Former Katy police officer Sergio Guadalupe Rodriguez faces third-degree felony charges of stalking and misuse of official information after Fort Bend County prosecutors alleged he used the Flock system to track his ex-wife's movements between Nov. 2, 2024, and April 2, 2025. Rodriguez, a 10-year department veteran confirmed by KPD Chief Bryon Woytek, has pleaded not guilty. Both cases are pending in the 268th Judicial District Court.

Internal affairs records obtained by KHOU reportedly show Rodriguez searched his ex-wife's license plate 2,386 times over 11 months. Covering Katy reported that the City of Katy operates 40 Flock cameras, and its police can also search a much larger network that includes privately owned cameras and statewide and nationwide license plate lookups. Then-Katy Police Chief Noe Diaz told City Council in January 2024 that the system captures approximately one million license plates per month.

Fulshear has its own Flock ties. The city has partnered with Flock Safety for a drone first responder pilot program, The Texan reported.

The county's Flock footprint is vast. The Harris County Sheriff's Office alone manages 480 cameras across 20 networks, Houston Public Media reported in August 2026. Axios reported in September that more than 4,000 automated license plate readers have been logged countywide, the most of any U.S. county.

Commissioners approved a one-year extension of the Flock contract on May 28 at a cost of $868,975 on a 4-0 vote, with Hidalgo abstaining, according to Click2Houston. Hidalgo has said the privacy protections commissioners discussed at the time of that vote were never added.

"The members who forced the item through owe the public answers to these questions," Hidalgo wrote in a Sept. 6 post calling for a special meeting on the Flock contract.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones ordered all Flock cameras on precinct property covered and decommissioned on Oct. 8, taking more than 60 devices offline across nine parks and facilities, KHOU reported. The sheriff's office also suspended three deputies from accessing Flock in August while investigating possible misuse.

Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to pause Flock funding in August 2026. The Texas Department of Transportation subsequently suspended approvals for Flock cameras on state-owned roadways, CW39 reported.

Residents who want to speak at the Oct. 15 Commissioners Court meeting can sign up at agenda.harriscountytx.gov/Speak-at-Court/Appearance-Request-Form.