Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones ordered all 61 Flock surveillance cameras and license plate readers at precinct parks and facilities taken offline Thursday, Oct. 8, citing resident privacy concerns.
The cameras were physically covered by noon that day, according to Precinct 4 Chief Public Affairs Officer Erin Mincberg Spiegel. Flock Safety, the company that operates the system, was notified and said formal decommissioning would take about 48 hours, KPRC 2 reported.
The shutdown covers 48 security cameras and 13 automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) spread across nine parks and facilities in Precinct 4, which stretches across western Harris County and includes Spring-area parks. The affected parks will no longer have security cameras, though closed-circuit field cameras used for other purposes will remain, according to ABC13.
Briones' office pointed to specific concerns: outside-agency access to camera data, vendor disclosure authority, improper searches by authorized users, and the retention of downloaded records after the original data expires. Three Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies were suspended from the Flock system in August for alleged misuse.
"These cameras can be useful tools, but private ownership of the data and the use of AI present serious issues," Briones said in an Oct. 8 statement, as reported by Houston Public Media.
The 61 cameras are leased under an annual contract by Precinct 4. The Harris County Sheriff's Office serves as the system's administrator. Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin said a Commissioners Court vote was not required because commissioners have discretion over their devices under the existing Flock contract, according to KPRC 2.
Documents obtained by ABC13's 13 Investigates showed Flock billed Precinct 4 nearly $175,000 for its camera network and other fees in 2025. The county's Flock contract has been renewed three times since 2023, according to Houston Public Media.
The decision marks a reversal. In May, Briones said Flock cameras helped authorities apprehend the people accused of shooting two members of her staff near a county park, KPRC 2 reported in September.
Steve Radack, a former Houston Police Department sergeant running against Briones in the November election, criticized the move. The Precinct 4 Constable's Office said it is too soon to determine whether losing camera access will affect its ability to solve crimes, ABC13 reported.
The shutdown affects only cameras controlled by Precinct 4, not privately owned Flock cameras elsewhere in the county. The Sheriff's Office manages 20 Flock networks countywide with a combined 480 cameras, most owned by municipal utility districts and neighborhood associations.
Harris County Commissioners Court is scheduled to discuss Flock camera privacy concerns Thursday, Oct. 15, at 9 a.m. at 1001 Preston St. in downtown Houston. County Judge Lina Hidalgo directed county departments to present a report covering the number and location of ALPRs, money spent and which agencies have access to the data.
