Harris County, TX — Scrutiny surrounding Flock Safety license plate readers is growing in Harris County after one agency suspended three deputies’ access to the system while another disciplined an officer for confirmed misuse.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that it suspended Flock access for three deputies and launched a review of their activity after questions were raised about potentially questionable searches.
HCSO emphasized that the review is still underway and has not announced that the deputies violated policy.
The Sheriff’s Office said any policy violations uncovered could result in discipline, including termination. If investigators find evidence of possible criminal wrongdoing, the information would be forwarded to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for review.
In a separate case, the Deer Park Police Department said an internal audit found that one of its officers violated department policy by misusing the Flock system.
Deer Park Police said substantial disciplinary action was taken against the officer, although the department did not identify the employee or specify the discipline imposed.
The department said it is also reviewing policies, reinforcing training and increasing oversight of authorized users. Deer Park has additionally established a Flock transparency portal.
HCSO currently administers 20 Flock license plate reader networks containing a combined 480 cameras. The networks are primarily owned by municipal utility districts, neighborhood associations and similar organizations that have designated the Sheriff’s Office as system administrator.
According to HCSO, access to its Flock data is limited to authorized law enforcement personnel and all searches are logged. Deputies will now also be required to provide a descriptive case code when conducting license plate searches.
The developments come amid broader questions over how automated license plate reader systems are accessed and whether safeguards are sufficient to prevent searches for unauthorized purposes.
The three Harris County deputies are currently under review. HCSO has not announced findings of misconduct or criminal wrongdoing against them.