The surveillance & liberty brief

Crow's Nest tracks license-plate readers, facial recognition, police surveillance and the wider civil-liberties beat, town by town. One free email each weekday morning, every line linked to the reporting it came from.

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Today's issue

Texas cities deactivate 900 Flock cameras

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 18 stories · view as email

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Texas jurisdictions deactivated over 900 Flock surveillance cameras after Gov. Greg Abbott cut state funding; Laredo voted 7-2 to weigh $1M for 165 cameras(Salon.com)

Inkl reports that Texas cities face a funding cutoff after Gov. Greg Abbott blocked state grants for roadside Flock cameras, prompting Laredo's city council to set a referendum on spending $1 million annually to keep 165 surveillance devices operating.

Texas Unplugs Over 900 Flock Surveillance Cameras Following State Funding Cut (inkl.com)

London's Metropolitan Police plans a citywide rollout of live facial recognition cameras; mobile vans match passersby against tens of thousands of photos(The Mirror)

Four Indianapolis officers and one ex-officer were charged with fraud and misconduct for allegedly abusing the department's Flock system; one also faces stalking charges(WKRC)

At least 10 U.S. jurisdictions have deployed acoustic noise cameras; New York City operated 12 in 2025, issuing 1,691 summonses with fines reaching $2,625(Fox News)

A New Mexico jury finds Meta liable for over 2 million privacy violations on Sept. 25; state attorneys are seeking the maximum $5,000 penalty per violation(courthousenews.com)

Connecticut's 39-section CART Act takes effect Oct. 1 with AI disclosure rules; Public Act No. 26-64 restricts facial recognition and bans genetic data sales(ctmirror.org)

Flock watch

Harrisburg, Arkansas Mayor Justin Kimble ordered city Flock cameras covered in black trash bags; 6 other Arkansas cities have ended or suspended their programs(NEA Report)

City council vote: St. Paul City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 26, 2026 to end its Flock contract; audits found Minnesota agencies shared ALPR data with ICE(Twin Cities)

A Pennsylvania lawmaker proposed banning Flock automated license plate readers statewide; Gov. Josh Shapiro said he would welcome legislation to ban them(Axios)

City council vote: Lowell City Council voted 6-5 on Sept. 22 to indefinitely suspend Flock Safety cameras; the system retained plate scan records for 30 days(Boston Herald)

College Station voted 4-2 to keep Flock cameras for nearly $300,000; two dozen Texas cities moved to drop them after Gov. Abbott paused state funding in August(The Dallas Morning News)