College Station City Council is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to renew the city’s agreement with Flock Safety. The decision follows a period of scrutiny by local groups and media outlets regarding the use of the camera network.
KBTX sought input from Brazos County, Bryan, and College Station law enforcement, as well as the local advocacy group DeFlock BCS, to understand the scope and usage of the technology.
The three local agencies operate Flock networks of varying sizes. The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office manages 10 cameras, while Bryan Police operates 17. College Station maintains the largest network in the area, with 84 cameras.
Members of DeFlock BCS, including John Hamilton, Ivan Svrcek, and Kody Fox, have spent months reviewing search logs, records, and contracts across both cities. Svrcek stated he became concerned after learning about security vulnerabilities and the power of the cameras.
Hamilton began tracking camera locations using a national map before speaking at city council meetings in February, while Fox started his review after cameras appeared near his workplace.
Both Bryan and College Station police describe their systems as motion-activated, meaning they trigger on any movement rather than just vehicles. However, both departments state that officers are restricted to searching vehicle-related images. In a written statement, College Station police explained that their cameras function similarly to home security systems and that only vehicle-related still images are searchable by officers.
DeFlock disputes this limitation, with Hamilton arguing that the cameras photograph every person who passes by, regardless of their actions. He noted that the group’s review of College Station audit logs revealed the use of a "freeform search" feature, which allows searches based on descriptive details rather than license plates.
