Source reporting: Dallas Express
A state funding freeze for Flock Safety cameras has created uncertainty around portions of Dallas' multimillion-dollar automated license plate reader program, according to the Dallas Express.
Gov. Greg Abbott directed Texas agencies to stop state money from being used for Flock cameras, his spokesman confirmed in a statement first reported by the Texas Tribune. The Dallas Express found no signed order or written directive on the governor's or Texas Department of Motor Vehicles' public websites as of Sunday morning. That left the effective date, duration and treatment of existing financial commitments unclear.
Dallas City Council approved a three-year Flock contract in May 2025 that runs through June 14, 2028, with a maximum value of approximately $5.74 million. City records allocate about $3.92 million to the General Fund, $1.69 million to a state Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority grant fund and $125,000 to a federal homeland security grant.
The payment schedule includes $563,500 from the state-backed fund during the 2026 fiscal year and about $1.13 million in later years. Those amounts are subject to annual appropriations.
Dallas separately accepted a $1.22 million state grant for a program operating from September 2025 through August 2026. City materials say the grant supports a police officer, overtime, training, a vehicle, fleet expenses and operating costs for 200 Flock cameras. The records reviewed by the Dallas Express did not identify the exact amount assigned to the cameras.
Abbott's spokesman said state agencies are clarifying that Texas funds cannot be spent on Flock equipment. The statement did not specify whether the instruction applies only to future awards or also reaches money already obligated. It also did not address Dallas' General Fund or federal funding.
Dallas had 684 Flock cameras accessible to approximately 1,900 approved officers and city employees as of Saturday, according to reporting cited by the publisher. Police officials credit the network with generating investigative leads, including in homicide cases. Dallas reportedly retains the records for one year and conducts weekly search audits. Cross-jurisdictional sharing and the volume of vehicle-location records have also prompted Fourth Amendment, data-access and misuse concerns.
The issue is significant for both privacy and financial accountability. Dallas officials need written state guidance to determine which contract payments remain permissible, whether local funds would replace unavailable grant money and whether existing camera operations must change. Until that scope is documented, the city's network remains active while its future state-supported costs are unresolved.