Fort Worth Set to Receive Briefing on Flock Technology

As local governments across America grapple with their relationships with Flock cameras, Fort Worth is set to receive an update from its police department about the powerful surveillance tools.

The Fort Worth City Council is set to receive a presentation from the Fort Worth Police Department on Flock license plate readers at its work session on Nov. 17, a spokesperson for the city of Fort Worth told the Star-Telegram on Oct. 12.

The presentation was requested earlier this year by multiple city council members, including Chris Nettles and Deborah Peoples.

Flock license plate readers, used by law enforcement departments across the country, have become a flashpoint in national discussions about surveillance and accountability. License plate readers have been around since the 1970s — but Flock’s tech is more advanced.

Flock’s “vehicle fingerprint” technology, according to a 2026 contract document obtained by the Star-Telegram through a records request, can see a car’s make, color, license plate, state, missing or covered plates — and detect bumper stickers and decals.

The city also has a “community network access” tool that allows feeds from privately owned cameras to be shared via livestream to Fort Worth PD.

Users can also look up the history of a license plate captured on Flock devices, and access state and nationwide networks of license plates.

More than 180 contracts with Flock have been canceled, according to DeFlock the USA. City and county governments have voted to end contracts with Flock, or remove the cameras that were installed.

Fort Worth has had a contract with Flock since 2020. Since then, police chief Eddie Garcia told WFAA, the technology has been used to make more than 2,000 arrests.

The presentation comes at a time when police departments and local governments are facing questions about how to hold officers who misuse the powerful technology accountable. In August, Wired reported that a police officer in Georgia used Flock more than 50 times over three months to search for the license plate of a former romantic partner who was also a member of the department.

City Council member Michael Crain said that this accountability was key to the details officials are hoping to receive.

“Supporting effective policing and protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens are not competing goals — we must demand both,” Crain said in a written statement. “Any new technology deployment must strictly dictate how citizen data is accessed, retained and shared — and mandate strict consequences for misuse.”

Crain pointed to a 2024 drive-by shooting and the 2023 Lake Como shooting as crimes that were solved with the help of Flock technology.

The North Fort Worth Alliance has also advertised a presentation on Flock, set for 9 a.m. Oct. 24 at 12209 Timberland Blvd. — but the date could be pushed back to align with the council presentation.

“Flock Safety is proud to support the Fort Worth Police Department in helping to keep the community safe,” a spokesperson from Flock said. “We are grateful for opportunities to answer questions from elected officials, neighborhood organizations, and residents.”

Stephen Lawrence, the founder of DeFlock Fort Worth, said that Fort Worth should “become mass surveillance free.”

“It’s painful to see a still-new police chief deploying digital barbed wire across where the west should begin,” Lawrence said in a written statement. “If city council doesn’t wake up, we will have to rely on Austin, D.C., or — more likely — [a] citizen petition action.”

©2026 Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.