Newsroom

HARRIS COUNTY, TX, October 15, 2026 — Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is requesting a closer examination of the Flock camera system after receiving the Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) Report from the Office of the County Administrator. The report comes amid growing questions about transparency, oversight, and the potential for information collected by local law enforcement to be accessed or shared beyond its intended purpose.

Ahead of the meeting of the Harris County Commissioners Court tomorrow, the Office of County Administration last night and this afternoon produced and provided the following report and presentation on the use of ALPRs in Harris County. 

ALPR Report:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ei8T_JkaRCFoYBXYwCtXNaThKlXR-OKo/view?usp=drivesdk

ALPR Presentation for 10/15/26:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q2ArZHUNCLUmZD6dFuaR2YUWWtxH_sr4/view?usp=sharing_eil&ts=6ad02b9d

Key takeaways:

1.⁠ ⁠Existing safeguards are not sufficient.

2.⁠ ⁠Some agencies have adopted safeguard policies, but most have not. The policies that exist include different degrees of data protection. Standardization and universal adoption are needed. 

• HCFMO, Constable Precinct 2, Constable Precinct 7, and Constable Precinct 8 provided their ALPR use policies. 

• The information regarding ALPR use and policies within County Commissioner Precincts is more limited than for the other agencies.  

3.⁠ ⁠There are thorough recommendations for medium-term solutions. A short-term solution is still necessary. We will discuss this tomorrow. 

The report represents an important step toward establishing a clearer understanding of the system’s operations and identifying where additional protections or accountability measures may be necessary.

Judge Lina Hidalgo requested that a series of questions be shared concerning Harris County’s use of ALPR with relevant county departments, members of Commissioners Court, and law enforcement agencies to obtain a clearer understanding of how the technology is being used, who has access to the information collected, and what safeguards are in place to protect residents’ privacy.

The ALPR Questions & Answers document summarizes the information so far on the questions we have publicly asked. 

ALPR Questions & Answers:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Vx2-4QRU5jQnurxduIwDlZAESaQAl1MWA0CkqN-zHjI/edit?usp=drivesdk

Judge Hidalgo has consistently emphasized that while law enforcement must have the tools necessary to protect communities, those tools must operate within clear boundaries that protect residents’ privacy.

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