Katy's Flock Safety camera network faces fresh pressure after two Texas cities canceled or paused their contracts and a former Katy officer's stalking charge put the technology's misuse risks on display.

The city operated 40 Flock cameras as of February 2024, with an estimated 35 to 40 privately owned cameras also connected to the system, according to a Covering Katy investigation. Then-Police Chief Noe Diaz told City Council in January 2024 that the system captured roughly one million license plates a month. No public statement or scheduled council action from Katy's city government regarding a review of its Flock contract has surfaced as of Sept. 10.

The debate sharpened this week. On Wednesday, Sept. 9, the Manvel City Council voted unanimously to cancel its Flock contract, and Willis shut off its cameras pending review. One day earlier, Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan credited Flock cameras with helping arrest three robbery suspects.

Manvel pulls the plug

Manvel gave Flock 30 days' notice and ordered cameras covered immediately, Houston Public Media reported. City crews covered at least one camera within hours. The rest were required to be covered within 48 hours, according to KHOU.

Mayor Dan Davis said the company's reach extends beyond simple plate readers.

"This company is so much more than just license plate readers, and they have no place in the City of Manvel," Davis said at the meeting.

Davis cited Flock's use of anonymized data to train its artificial intelligence systems and the ability for other agencies to access a city's Flock network. Flock Safety Senior Director of Public Affairs Trevor Chandler, who attended the meeting virtually, countered that Manvel had not opted into the nationwide sharing feature and controlled which agencies could see its data.

Willis Mayor William Brown announced the same day that the city had shut off its Flock system pending a city council review. No date for that meeting has been announced.

Fort Bend sheriff credits cameras in robbery arrests

On Tuesday, Sept. 8, Fagan held a press conference announcing three men had been charged with aggravated robbery in connection with at least seven holdups of food trucks and businesses in the Bellair, Beechnut and Highway 6 area. Six of the seven robberies occurred on the evening of Aug. 6 and into Aug. 7, according to ABC13. Fagan said the suspects approached businesses unmasked, with a gun, and demanded money.

He made a point of defending Flock cameras during the announcement, saying deputies use them to capture plate numbers and exterior vehicle details and that the technology does not violate Fourth Amendment rights by searching inside vehicles.

The investigation remains active.

Katy's misuse cases

The technology drew national attention after former Katy officer Sergio Rodriguez was charged with stalking and misuse of official information. Fort Bend County prosecutors allege Rodriguez used the Flock system to track his ex-wife from Nov. 2, 2024, through April 2, 2025. He has pleaded not guilty.

Separately, a Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office lieutenant was suspended after an internal investigation found she had looked up one plate 41 times and another more than 140 times, with searches reportedly unrelated to official work, Houston Public Media reported.

Katy police said they now conduct monthly random audits and quarterly audits of every officer with Flock access, according to Fox 26. Search capabilities have been restricted to officers with an investigative role.

Fulshear and the wider fallout

Fulshear Municipal Utility District No. 3A announced in February 2026 that its board rejected Flock cameras, citing data-access concerns and potential invasion of residents' privacy. The district contracted with SEAL Security for 24-hour coverage instead.

The backlash extends beyond the Houston area. Gov. Greg Abbott halted certain state funding for Flock cameras, according to Click2Houston. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo called for a special Commissioners Court meeting to reconsider the county's roughly $869,000 Flock contract. Flock itself recently shortened its default data retention from 30 to seven days and now requires a case code before any search.

League City is adding a Flock proposition to its November ballot, asking voters whether police should keep using the cameras.