Crow's Nest
Monday, September 28, 2026 · The digital civil-liberties brief · View on the web
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
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. (Salon.com)
Top
- 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)
Surveillance & Privacy
- Filing: DOJ plans to use State Department passport records to identify noncitizens on voter registration lists; a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling allowed DHS sharing (electionlawblog.org)
- City council vote: Newport Beach approves adding Skydio drones to its Axon contract for over $4.5 million; first-year amendment costs total nearly $752,000 (latimes.com)
- Pittsfield councilors seek a report after police ran LiveU drone video for nine months without Chapter 18½ approval; a $31,167 drone grant was rejected Sept. 8 (iberkshires.com)
- Bill: Five Democrats led by Sen. Markey and Rep. Jayapal reintroduce a federal biometric tech ban; law enforcement grants would require state moratoriums (IANS LIVE)
Coming Up
Mon Sep 28 · DEADLINE · Tempe, AZ — Flock is scheduled to remove roughly 60 bagged license-plate cameras in Tempe (WFMZ.com)
Mon Sep 28 · DEADLINE · U.S. District Court — News outlets face deadline to request a preliminary injunction extending the block on the White House press ban (Market Screener)
Mon Sep 28 · MEETING · North Attleborough, Massachusetts — North Attleborough officials revisit the town's Flock license plate reader surveillance program (WJAR)
Mon Sep 28 · MEETING · La Cañada Flintridge, CA — Public Safety Commission holds an informational discussion regarding Flock safety cameras (outlooknewspapers.com)
Mon Sep 28 · MEETING · Simsbury, CT — Simsbury Board of Selectmen hears a presentation on the town's use of automated license plate reader cameras and privacy safeguards (Patch)
Mon Sep 28 · MEETING · South Lyon, MI — South Lyon City Council receives review on legal and financial impacts of canceling the city's Flock ALPR contract (Yahoo (South Lyon City Council report))
Speech & Press
- Homeland Security used 1509 administrative summonses for records of journalists Georgia Fort and Don Lemon; a federal judge had twice rejected search warrants (freedom.press)
- The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts raised PACER fees in June to fund an upgrade; PACER collects about $145 million yearly on $3 million in costs (reason.com)
- The University of Pennsylvania requires advance disclosure for student events with 'controversial speakers'; its review group includes no faculty or students (The College Fix)
Useful
Digital security for journalists — Freedom of the Press Foundation's guides for reporters and their sources: devices, accounts, crossing borders.
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