El Paso Voted 8–0 to Remove Its Flock Cameras. What Happens to the Data Now?

October 4, 2026

El Paso City Council voted 8–0 on Tuesday, Sept. 15, to have the city's Flock license plate cameras taken down within 60 days. In March, council had voted 6–2 to keep them.

What changed in between was money, and a wave of public scrutiny. What hasn't been answered yet is what happens to the data roughly 150 cameras collected. Here's what happened, and how El Paso residents can ask.

What happened

On Aug. 28, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to pause funding for Flock cameras. That hit the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, the grant program that had paid for at least 3,200 Flock cameras across Texas since 2023. El Paso's cameras were funded with more than $2 million from that program, according to the El Paso Times, and El Paso Inc. reported that a $693,000 state grant would have extended the contract through Aug. 31, 2027.

The El Paso Police Department then halted use of the state-funded cameras. When KFOX14 asked whether the cameras were deactivated and what would happen to stored data, the department referred reporters back to the chief's written statement and didn't answer those questions in writing. Police Chief Peter Pacillas has said that restricting the devices pushes investigators back to manual methods and affects response times.

On Sept. 15, council acted. According to KVIA, the 8–0 vote directs City Manager Dionne Mack to remove all Flock plate reader cameras and related hardware within 60 days. If the hardware isn't removed by then, it must be covered with fully opaque bags for an additional 30 days. Council also directed the city manager not to sign new contracts with Flock or similar plate reader providers without council direction, and asked the city attorney to draft a resolution within 30 days to keep the system from simply being replaced by another vendor. The El Paso Herald-Post also reported the vote as unanimous.

The 60-day clock points to mid-November.

What these cameras collect

Flock cameras photograph passing vehicles and log the plate, time and location, plus features like make, color and vehicle type. That goes into a searchable system that, depending on sharing settings, officers at many other agencies can query. Retention is set by contract and policy, often 30 days. Turning cameras off stops new collection. It doesn't by itself delete what's already stored.

Want the short version to keep? Get the free Flock Camera Field Guide.

If you live in El Paso

The Texas Public Information Act (Tex. Gov't Code ch. 552) applies. Requests must be in writing, sent the way the city designates for public information requests. The city must produce records "promptly." If it can't within 10 business days, it must certify that in writing and set a date. If it wants to withhold something, it generally must ask the Texas Attorney General for a ruling within 10 business days.

1. Searches involving your plate

Flock systems log every search: who ran it, when, and the reason entered. Ask for:

All audit log entries in EPPD's Flock system where your plate was the search term, for the full contract period.
Any searches by outside agencies that returned your plate from El Paso cameras.

Police records are often withheld under the Act's law enforcement exceptions. But § 552.023 gives you a "special right of access" to information that relates to you and is protected from public disclosure by laws meant to protect your privacy. Cite it when asking for records about your own vehicle.

2. The contract, policy and sharing records

The Flock contract, amendments, and the grant agreements that funded it.
EPPD's plate reader policy, including retention and sharing rules.
The list of outside agencies with access to El Paso data, and any network audit reports.
The removal plan the city manager prepares under the Sept. 15 vote.

3. Ask the question KFOX14 couldn't get answered

Ask the city in writing: What happens to stored El Paso data when the contract ends? Has Flock deleted it, or will it? On what date? Was anything exported or preserved? Request written confirmation of deletion from the vendor, and send a copy of your question to your council representative.

If your city still has them

Find the staff report. Search your council's agenda archive for "Flock" or "license plate." Note how the cameras are funded; El Paso shows funding can change fast.
Send written questions to your council member and police chief about retention, sharing, and outside searches.
Speak at public comment. Specific facts and one clear ask, such as a vote before any renewal, carry weight.
Build a coalition. In Texas, concern about these cameras has come from the governor's office and city councils alike.

Don't touch the cameras themselves. It's a crime, and it hands the vendor the story it wants. El Paso's win came from a council vote.

Going further

Ghost Protocol ($19.99) is our field guide and toolkit for dealing with plate readers. If you're organizing against a contract, the Organizer Kit is built for that. And the $9 Records Request Letter Pack saves you from drafting the requests above from scratch.