Waco Passes on Flock Hardware While Temple/Killeen Build Out Camera Networks

Flock cameras continue to increase across the state of Texas, but one Central Texas police force says it is going a different route.

Central Texas Cities Leverage State Grants for Massive Flock Camera Rollout

Multiple Central Texas cities have drawn from a specific $1 auto insurance fee to build out their license plate reader networks. However, the region’s largest municipal police force has chosen a different technological path.

Read More: Texas Governor Halts State Funding For Flock Safety Cameras 

Temple and Killeen Lead Regional Spending in AI Camera Hardware

Findings from The Texas Tribune detail how several local police departments secured grant allocations to acquire hardware manufactured specifically by Flock Safety:

Temple: Secured $875,029 to implement 107 Flock devices.

Killeen: Allocated $400,000 toward installing 76 cameras.

West: Spent $58,400 to acquire 14 units.

Belton: Used $18,250 to set up six devices.

Bellmead: Received $7,083 to deploy two cameras.

Read More: Texas Rangers Investigating Former Temple Police Officer for Flock License Plate Database Misuse

Waco Police Pass on Flock Tech in Favor of Alternative License Plate Readers

In contrast, the Waco Police Department confirmed to KWTX that it does not use Flock-branded technology. Department spokesperson Cierra Shipley said that while Waco officers do rely heavily on Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems to pinpoint suspect vehicles and support criminal investigations, they operate using alternative formats.

Strategic Placement and Strict Safeguards: How Waco Manages Its ALPR Data

According to official department policy, camera placements are driven by areas of high crime activity. Waco police say the camera data is strictly restricted to verified law enforcement cases, is held for a specific amount of time and is prohibited for use on a regular basis.