Documented Incident
League City Council to consider November referendum on police use of Flock ALPR cameras
Event: August 11, 2026 · First reported: August 11, 2026 · 4 sources
League City City Council was set to consider an ordinance at its Aug. 11 meeting calling a special election for Nov. 3 that would let voters decide whether the police department continues using Flock Safety automated license plate readers. Mayor Nick Long, who sponsored the item, said resident concerns about reported misuse of Flock cameras in cities such as Houston and Pasadena prompted the proposal. Long said if approved it would be the city's first referendum since its 2025 charter update allowed them, and possibly among the first ALPR referendums in Texas. Conroe City Council tabled a similar referendum motion in July and has not rescheduled it.
Putting ALPR deployment to a public vote would be an unusual test of direct democracy over surveillance technology that is typically approved through council contracts, and the outcome could shape how other Texas cities handle similar disputes.
Key facts
- League City police began installing Flock cameras in December 2022; at least 55 are installed, with 16 more in the TxDOT permitting process, per a July LCPD social media post.
- LCPD says scans are deleted automatically after 30 days, the cameras lack facial recognition, and database access is limited to high-level cases.
- LCPD said the cameras aided 305 criminal investigations since July 2025 and helped recover $1 million in stolen property; the department says it shares data with the FBI but not with Border Patrol or ICE.
- Long said a vote to remove the cameras would end the city's Flock contracts, while a vote to keep them would prompt consideration of tighter privacy rules and a citizen-led advisory committee.
- The council vote on calling the election had not yet occurred as reported; residents' claims of abuses in other cities are their characterization and not a documented finding in this article.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- League City voters could decide whether Flock cameras are used within city limits (ABC13 Houston, August 11, 2026)
- PREVIEW: League City voters could decide whether Flock cameras are used within city limits (Community Impact, August 10, 2026)
- League City voters could soon decide future fate of Flock cameras in city limits (ABC13 Houston, August 7, 2026)
- League City voters to decide fate of Flock surveillance cameras (galvnews.com, August 13, 2026)
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About this record
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 August 20, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.