Documented Incident
Amarillo City Council Reviews Flock ALPR Policies After Ex-Officer Charged With 78 Counts
First reported: September 10, 2026 · 4 sources
The Amarillo City Council discussed the city's use of Flock automated license plate reader cameras on Tuesday, following the arrest of former Amarillo police officer Christian Eder, who faces 78 counts of tampering with a government record. Court records allege Eder ran 76 Flock searches to track a man for personal reasons; the charges are allegations that have not been resolved in court. Police Chief Thomas Hover described department safeguards, including shortening data retention from 30 days to seven and monthly audits by a randomly assigned supervisor and AI. Hover said the victim reported the alleged misuse before the AI audit flagged it.
The case illustrates how internal audits may not be the first line of detection for alleged ALPR misuse, and Amarillo's debate over an outside oversight committee offers a test of what accountability structures other cities might adopt.
Key facts
- Former Amarillo officer Christian Eder is charged with 78 counts of tampering with a government record; court records allege 76 Flock searches to track a man for personal reasons.
- Amarillo operates 85 Flock cameras; retention was reduced from 30 days to seven, with monthly audits by a random supervisor and AI.
- Chief Thomas Hover said the victim alerted police to the alleged misuse before the AI audit detected it.
- Mayor Cole Stanley proposed an oversight committee to evaluate and audit Flock searches; Councilmember Les Simpson said internal policy alone may not be sufficient.
- Residents at public comment were divided, citing crime-solving benefits versus concerns about retention, audits, data on uninvolved people, and hacking.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Amarillo City Council Reviews Flock Camera Policies After Former Officer’s Arrest (texasscorecard.com, September 10, 2026)
- Changes made to Amarillo PD camera policies following officer termination , arrest (abc7amarillo.com, September 9, 2026)
- Amarillo police chief presents new Flock camera policies to city council (NewsChannel 10, September 8, 2026)
- City of Amarillo reviews Flock camera policies amid privacy concerns (MyHighPlains.com, September 9, 2026)
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BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated September 11, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.