Laredo mayor calls for public input on Flock camera funding

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Mayor Dr. Victor Treviño said the state of Texas has paused funding for Flock camera systems, and he wants Laredoans to decide whether the city should keep paying for the system with local taxpayer dollars. City Manager Joseph Neeb and Assistant City Manager Juan Ramon Chavez joined Treviño and Police Chief Miguel Rodriguez at the announcement. Treviño said he has worked closely with city management and Rodriguez on the matter. He said since the state's announcement, he has asked the city manager and Rodriguez to contact the company that operates the Flock camera system to notify them of the funding situation, which he said triggers the city's ability to exercise certain rights. Treviño said if the state is no longer willing to fund the service, he believes Laredoans should have the opportunity to decide whether the city should continue paying for it with local taxpayer dollars. 'As Mayor, I support our police officers and recognize the value of the technology that can provide in fighting crime,' Treviño said. Treviño said he believes circumstances have changed and that taxpayers, ultimately responsible for funding the entire system, should have a direct voice in the decision. He said the decision should rest with the people of Laredo, who should have the opportunity to decide whether they want to continue funding the Flock system with local taxpayer dollars. 'This should not be about politics,' Treviño said. 'It should be about public safety, fiscal responsibility, privacy, and giving the people a voice.' Treviño said if Laredo citizens want to keep paying for the service, the city should respect that decision. He said the city should also respect the decision if they do not. 'The people should have the final say,' Treviño said. Treviño said the city will place the item on the next City Council meeting agenda for discussion and possible action, including scheduling a poll or a vote on funding the Flock camera system. Rodriguez said the department supports the mayor's approach and defers to elected leadership on decisions about implementing technology in the city. 'We recommend, and then once it is approved, we execute what we need to execute for our mission,' Rodriguez said. Rodriguez said the department's goal is to continue providing the public safety it has provided in recent years. He said in 2018, as deputy chief, he presented the need for a real-time crime center to City Council under then-Mayor Pete Saenz. He said the department used seizure funds in June 2018 to purchase equipment for what became the first real-time crime center in South Texas. Rodriguez said that when he became chief, the department would let the community guide how it wants to be policed. 'That is our job as a police department, to make sure that we provide that clarity into a new software program or a new technology, how we're going to use it,' Rodriguez said. Rodriguez provided figures on the number of Flock devices deployed across the city: Rodriguez said the 32 additional license plate readers were delayed because they required permits from the Texas Department of Transportation, which were serving other cities and areas of the state. He said all devices require permits from the city or TxDOT before installation. Rodriguez said the cameras have contributed to hundreds of arrests and helped solve hundreds of cases, including a homicide investigation. He said that before the department decides to discontinue the system, it must ensure it retains the data collected. 'I strongly believe that with this new emerging technology, we provide the information with facts, and then we let our community and our elected leadership tell us if we want to make sure that we execute this kind of technology in our community,' Rodriguez said. Ahead of Tuesday's announcement, Laredoans raised concerns over the continued use of the Flock cameras following a special city council meeting held Monday, Aug. 31. Gov. Greg Abbott's office had announced a pause on future state funding for the technology. At that meeting, Rodriguez said the pause does not shut down the city's local system, which operates under its own existing contract with Flock. Rodriguez said the contract includes a clause allowing the city to walk away if funding dries up. Some Laredoans opposed to the Flock cameras spoke at previous city council meetings during public comments. Others said the city still owed the public more transparency about the contract itself. Amador Flores III, an activist with DeFlock Laredo, said the company can use customer data and license it to third parties that are not required to follow the same safeguards or restrictions as the Laredo Police Department or Flock Safety. 'They're able to use our customer data and license it to other third parties that don't have to follow any safeguards or any restrictions that the Laredo Police Department may have to follow, or Flock Safety themselves have to follow,' Flores said. Max Prado, an immigrant rights organizer with the Laredo Immigrant Alliance, said the Aug. 31 meeting marked the first time the police chief publicly discussed the Flock contract. 'Yesterday (August 31st) was the first time that the police chief ever mentioned the Flock contract,' Prado said. 'We don't know what their data provisions are. We don't know what the cancellation provisions are either. There's a lot we don't know. And the chief has been advocating for transparency, but we haven't seen any transparency.' The Laredo Police Department has a website outlining cases the department says it has solved with the help of Flock cameras. Treviño said he will join state Rep. Richard Raymond to push for a new state felony charge for anyone who misuses camera data.