City will let its Flock license plate camera contract run out, officials say, days after Sherman voted to remove its cameras

Howe will not renew its contract for Flock license plate reader cameras, city officials announced Thursday, Oct. 22, according to KTEN.

Officials said the decision came because residents in Howe did not want the cameras, the station reported. KTEN described the move as following privacy concerns about the devices. The report did not say how many cameras the city has, when the contract ends or when the cameras would come down.

Howe is the second city in Grayson County in a week to step away from the cameras, which read and log the license plates of passing vehicles.

Sherman went first

On Monday, Oct. 19, the Sherman City Council voted 7-0 on a resolution to get rid of that city's 11 Flock cameras and not renew its contract with Flock Group Inc., KXII reported. The resolution also requires a public hearing before any city department brings license plate readers back.

Sherman Mayor Shawn Teamann told KXII the unanimous vote came in response to public outcry over privacy and constitutional concerns, and said it was not a reflection of the city's trust in its police.

Councilman Clay Barnett, who made the motion, said he did not like taking a tool away from officers but cited concerns about what happens to the data once it leaves the city's hands.

Teamann also said Sherman's vote covered only cameras the city owns, and that state and county agencies operate their own cameras inside city limits.

Elsewhere in Texoma, KXII reported, the camera debate has led to an effort to recall city commissioners in Ardmore, Okla.

Sources

KTEN

KXII

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