Documented Incident
Texas state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst says she backs banning license plate reader cameras statewide
First reported: September 2, 2026 · 5 sources
Republican state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham wrote an op-ed titled "Get the Flock Out of Texas!" saying she is discussing an outright ban on automated license plate readers with Texas Senate colleagues ahead of the legislature's January session. She did not cite a bill number or release proposed statutory language, so no legislation has been filed or enacted. Kolkhorst argued the cameras risk warrantless surveillance and compared her concerns to Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches.
A statewide prohibition in Texas would be among the broadest legislative responses yet to ALPR networks, and the debate will test whether documented misuse cases translate into binding limits rather than vendor-set policies.
Key facts
- Kolkhorst's comments are an op-ed and stated intent; no bill number or draft language has been identified.
- An ABC 7 review of the Institute for Justice database, police records and reporting counted at least 79 U.S. officers accused of misusing Flock cameras this year — a figure the station describes as a minimum.
- Seven of those accused officers are in Texas, including former Amarillo officer Christian Eder, fired July 17 and charged with 78 counts of tampering with a government record; he has not entered a plea.
- Investigators allege Eder ran 76 Flock searches between February and June to track a man connected to a fellow officer, using stated reasons not tied to an APD case — allegations, not findings.
- Flock says searches are logged and agencies control access, retention and data sharing; some departments defend the cameras for stolen vehicle, missing person and criminal investigations.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- 'Get the Flock Out of Texas!' State senator backs ban on Flock cameras after misuse cases (KVII, September 2, 2026)
- ‘Get the Flock out of Texas’: State senator calls for ALPR ban (Cbs7, September 2, 2026)
- ‘Get the Flock out of Texas’: State senator calls for ALPR ban (KBTX News 3, September 2, 2026)
- ‘Get the Flock out of Texas’: State senator calls for ALPR ban (KBTX News 3, September 2, 2026)
- ‘Get the Flock out of Texas’: State senator calls for ALPR ban (Https://www.kwtx.com, September 2, 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 September 3, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.