Houston Chronicle reported that Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has called on Commissioners Court to schedule a special meeting on the county's license plate-reading cameras. Hidalgo made the request in a Substack post on Saturday.
What is Hidalgo asking for?
Hidalgo says Harris County has thousands of license plate-reading cameras but lacks oversight and data privacy rules. She said the county "must not continue with the programs" until its Flock contract has proper oversight standards. She did not explain how a pause would work.
She listed the topics she wants the special meeting to cover:
- data access
- software
- camera locations
- privacy
- oversight
- contracts with the county and other jurisdictions
She also wants the meeting open to the public, with residents, companies, law enforcement and county elected leaders taking part.
What about the county's Flock contract?
Commissioners Court renewed the county's contract with Flock Safety for another year in May. Hidalgo and dozens of residents criticized the move. The Chronicle reports that the court approved it during a procedural meeting that typically happens with no discussion.
Hidalgo wrote that the members who pushed the item through "owe the public answers to these questions." She also wants to know "which agencies have access to the data."
Who runs the cameras?
Hidalgo said the oversight discussion must include the Harris County Sheriff's Office, which administers dozens of the county's cameras. The Chronicle does not say how many cameras the sheriff's office runs in total, or where they are.
The Chronicle reports that alleged abuse of the technology by law enforcement has led to investigations in Harris and Fort Bend counties, Baytown and Pasadena. It also reports that numerous cameras have been torn down and vandalized. A Flock camera on Studemont Street in Houston was cut down in August, according to a photo caption.
What changes for drivers in Harris County?
Hidalgo has asked the court to schedule the meeting, and the Chronicle reports her call for the county to stop the programs until the contract has oversight standards. The Chronicle does not say whether the court will act on it.
Commissioners Rodney Ellis, Adrian Garcia, Tom Ramsey and Lesley Briones could not immediately be reached for comment. You can see mapped cameras on the camera map, and how plate readers work explains the technology.
What happens next?
Hidalgo has asked Commissioners Court to schedule a special meeting. The Chronicle does not give a date for it.