Dallas City Council will assess several budget amendments this week, including one which could eliminate $1.5 million in funding for Flock cameras.<\/p>\n
The amendment, proposed by Council Member Adam Bazaldua, proposes using $1 million of the funds for infrastructure like sidewalks and street lighting, and the other $500,000 for eviction advocacy support.<\/p>\n
“We\u2019ve been willing to try new technology to keep Dallas safer. Flock cameras were one of those tools,” Bazaldua said in a social media post. “But, being willing to try something new also means being willing to admit when it\u2019s not working.”<\/p>\n
City Council will consider amendments for the fiscal year 2026-27 and 2027-28 biennial budget during its Wednesday meeting. They are expected to take non-binding votes, also called straw votes, on the amendments before approving the budget on first reading.<\/p>\n
Bazaldua’s budget amendment is proposed at a time when Flock’s AI-powered license plate readers \u2014 intended for public safety use \u2014 are under scrutiny from both the public and government officials across the state. The devices have raised privacy concerns and allegations of misuse and surveillance.<\/p>\n
Flock Safety estimates around 5,000 law enforcement agencies and 6,000 communities use its surveillance products nationally, according to a report by Houston Public Media<\/a>. <\/p>\n DeFlock, an anti-surveillance group, has identified more than 13,000 cameras in Texas<\/a>, but the exact number is unclear. DeFlock estimates there are more than 4,500 Flock cameras in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.<\/p>\n Gov. Greg Abbott ordered all state agencies to pause funding for Flock cameras last week.<\/p>\n \u201cTo the extent that cities get any funding for those cameras, most of it comes from the federal government,” an Abbott spokesperson said in a statement to the Texas Tribune. “To the extent any funding comes from Texas agencies, those agencies are clarifying that those funds cannot be used for Flock cameras.”<\/p>\n Prior to the order, some local governments had taken the matter into their own hands. <\/p>\n Hood County Commissioners Court voted in April to end its contract with Flock<\/a>, which included three cameras. Last month the court unanimously voted to cover and deactivate the cameras<\/a>.<\/p>\n Restoring $500,000 in eviction advocacy support has been a proposed amendment during this budget season because of city staff’s proposal to exclude it from the general fund.<\/p>\n Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland told the City Council last month that eviction advocacy was not considered a core general fund function because housing and community empowerment were along the lines of housing stability. <\/p>\n “We believe that a public-private partnership would be more sustainable rather than using the city’s general fund for this,” Ireland said last week. “And considering the fact that Dallas County is already using funds for eviction related legal services, we would want to promote that partnership and work with Dallas County to provide that.”<\/p>\n Got a tip? Email Megan Cardona at\u00a0mcardona@kera.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n