The Harris County Sheriff's Office quoted $121,602 to fulfill a public records request about its Flock Safety license plate camera network.

The estimate came in response to a request from ENOUGH, a news organization that sought documents about how the county uses the cameras, as KPRC 2 first reported. The Sheriff's Office said the cost reflected the breadth of the original request, which generated a search of more than 400,000 emails and attachments. The office said the estimate was not intended to suggest records were being withheld.

ENOUGH has since narrowed its request. No revised estimate has arrived.

County Judge Lina Hidalgo has scheduled a Thursday, Oct. 15 Commissioners Court session at 9 a.m. to examine Flock camera oversight, data access and camera locations. The meeting will include testimony from the public, law enforcement and Flock Safety representatives.

The Sheriff's Office operates 480 Flock cameras across 20 networks, many of them in municipal utility districts and neighborhood associations that designated the sheriff's office as system administrator, according to an Aug. 14 department press release cited by the Houston Press. Spring is unincorporated and relies on Harris County law enforcement, making the sheriff's camera network a local issue.

The county's Flock contract, renewed in May on a 4-0 vote with Hidalgo abstaining, is valued at $868,975 and runs through June 2027. It covers license plate readers and gunshot detection technology.

Hidalgo told KPRC 2 the cost estimate surprised her.

"It's surprising because I know Sheriff Gonzalez is really involved in wanting to find a good balance between oversight and the law enforcement benefit," she said.

When Hidalgo reviewed the contract with the county purchasing agent, county administrator and county attorney, she found the data-access language names only "Harris County" rather than a specific department or role. A few hundred deputies hold login credentials for the system, according to Sheriff's Office senior communications advisor Jason Spencer, and access is supposed to be tied to active criminal investigations.

Questions about misuse have already surfaced. Three deputies had their Flock access suspended after a USA Today reporter flagged potentially questionable searches. One was cleared. Internal affairs investigations into the other two were still ongoing as of late September, the Houston Press reported. The Sheriff's Office has since added an auditing tool that monitors searches and requires deputies to log a case code.

Separately, the Texas Civil Rights Project's Christopher Rivera filed an open records request for the county's Flock policy manual and was told no responsive documents existed.

Hidalgo, whose term as county judge expires at the end of 2026, is requesting a report for the Oct. 15 meeting showing camera locations, total spending, which agencies use the system, who can access the data and how many searches have been conducted.

Statewide, at least 14 cities and counties have shut off more than 900 Flock cameras since Gov. Greg Abbott rescinded state funding in late August, KPRC 2 reported. An estimated 13,000 Flock cameras were operating across Texas as of late August.

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in the Aug. 14 press release that the department has used Flock technology since 2022 and that the cameras have helped thwart kidnapping attempts, apprehend armed robbery crews and recover stolen vehicles.

Residents can attend the Commissioners Court meeting or submit public comment.