Manvel Mayor Dan Davis wants the city to reconsider its Flock Safety contract. In a social media post, Davis said privacy, data security, costs and the way Flock shares collected data have led him to stop supporting the system. Click2Houston reported the post and the mayor's comments to KPRC 2 News. For background on how these readers work, see how plate readers work.
Why does the mayor want a review?
Davis said he supports the Manvel Police Department and believes technology helps officers. His concerns are with Flock as a company and with how it handles the data it gathers. He said he is not opposed to license plate readers in general.
Davis said he recently asked a Flock representative about security vulnerabilities in the company's hardware. The representative did not have an answer and said he would follow up, which Davis called concerning.
Davis also said the city's finances are a factor. "With limited taxpayer dollars," he said, the money spent on Flock "can be better allocated elsewhere."
What does the contract cover?
The Manvel Police Department signed a four-year contract with Flock Safety in 2024 for 21 cameras, Davis said on Facebook. Flock's cameras photograph passing vehicles and capture license plates and vehicle characteristics.
Davis also shared a Facebook poll. He said 66% of respondents chose "stop, discontinue the use of Flock cameras," and 21% chose to keep using them.
What did other council members say?
Council member Garrett Knox said he is listening to residents and has no issue removing the cameras. "I have no issue removing them at the request of the people," Knox told KPRC 2 News. He said he was not on council when the cameras were approved.
Council member Harry Oplinger said he agrees with the mayor that the issue should go on the agenda. He said he has concerns and has not received the answers he needs to take back to the community. He also said he expects Flock to work out the issues while the city takes a break from the cameras.
Click2Houston reached out to the other council members for their views on whether the city should keep the contract. Click2Houston does not include their responses.
What changes for drivers?
Click2Houston does not report any vote or change to the cameras yet. Davis said the item will be discussed at the Sept. 8 council meeting, and that is the next date in the article.
Davis has said his concerns are with Flock, not with license plate readers as a technology. Click2Houston does not say whether the city has other license plate readers besides the 21 under the Flock contract.
Check the camera map to see which readers are mapped near you.