MANVEL, Texas – The City of Manvel has unanimously approved to defund its Flock safety cameras.
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City leaders held a public hearing on Tuesday night to hear comments for or against its Flock safety camera program.
City of Manvel votes to remove Flock camera system
What we know:
On Tuesday evening, Manvel Mayor Dan Davis and all the city council members voted to basically deflock Manvel.
The vote was unanimous, 6-0.
“I would like to make a motion to direct staff to no longer appropriate funds in the proposed budget for flock camera as we do have a tight budget anyways. We need to use those funds elsewhere. Direct staff to turn in the 30-day notice to flock safety and to within the next 24 to 48 hours immediately cover all Manvel operated cameras within the city of Manvel,” said Manvel Mayor Dan Davis. “Motion passes unanimously 6-0.”
Davis said he made a motion after he peppered Flock representatives with questions.
Back in 2024, Davis originally voted for the Flock cameras.
He said now this isn’t about license plate reader technology, it’s about Flock as a company that’s behind the cameras.
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Community reaction during meeting
What they’re saying:
During the meeting, both sides of the issue were heard.
Community members said they had questions about the cameras and one member wanted to make sure they aren’t being misused. Another person shared her concerns as well and wanted the cameras removed.
On the other side, the police chief of Manvel and the chief deputy at the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office addressed the meeting saying the cameras are a proven public safety tool.
“I also acknowledge that law enforcement agencies have not done enough to adequately educate the public to respond to legitimate concerns about how the technology is being used. We have the responsibility to do better. But the answer to those concerns should not necessarily be abandoning a proven public safety tool. The answer is to ensure that the tool is properly regulated and appropriately used. And subject to meaningful accountability,” said Ian Patin, the chief deputy at the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office.
Police also stated that 535 agencies outside Manvel have access to their Flock cameras, with a majority of those agencies being in Texas.
Davis said he fully supports local police having tools like license plate readers, but he has serious concerns about data privacy, potential cybersecurity risks and how Flock handles citizen data nationwide.
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