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Gov. Abbott blocks state agencies from funding Flock cameras

techAug 28, 202618540

Gov. Greg Abbott ordered all state agencies to pause funding for Flock AI-powered license-plate reader cameras as scrutiny of the devices mounted. The order arrived as The Texas Tribune prepared to publish an investigation showing a state agency has devoted at least $30 million to build the state’s Flock surveillance network by providing grants to local police departments. Separate reporting has found some law enforcement agencies used historic opioid settlement funds to buy or subsidize Flock cameras. State Rep. Gina Hinojosa publicly criticized Abbott, releasing an ad accusing him of turning Texas into a surveillance state. The pause halts further agency spending while the probe and public debate over the grants, funding sources, and local deployments continue, and it increases pressure on local governments that accepted state grants to justify their use of the cameras.

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