Voters in League City, a Houston-area suburb of about 120,000 people, will decide Tuesday whether the police department should keep using 55 Flock cameras on public roads. The cameras collect data on passing vehicles, including license plate numbers, make, model and paint color. Proposition A is described on the ballot as nonbinding. However, the City Council approved a resolution in mid-October that pledged to remove the cameras if voters reject them.
Mayor Nick Long said the council wanted voters to weigh in because residents on both sides of the issue feel strongly. Police have said the cameras are a powerful tool for solving crimes. Long said the cameras helped in a recent missing persons case, which ended with a 15-year-old girl found safe. Others have raised privacy concerns about the devices.
Gov. Greg Abbott in August banned the use of state money for Flock cameras and halted new installations on state roads. York, Maine, is also asking voters about the cameras on Tuesday. Texas cities Kyle and Laredo plan to hold votes in May.