Historically, I have strongly supported law enforcement. In Texas, where authority is distributed across various jurisdictions, agencies generally maintain an amiable, cooperative relationship. Most Texas communities, depending on their size, have a local police department, a County Sheriff’s Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Texas Rangers.
For the most part, these agencies work together seamlessly across local, county, and state levels. That said, “bad actors” always abuse their authority and tarnish law enforcement’s reputation.
Unfortunately, the modern law enforcement landscape is also compromised by political overreach and federal overreach. This is especially true within the Department of Justice and the FBI.
Once premier national investigative and legal forces, these agencies have increasingly been turned into instruments of personal vengeance by powerful political figures. Compounded by the Department of Homeland Security and its enforcement arms like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the stage is set for expanded surveillance targeting ordinary citizens across the nation—and right down your street.
It is one thing for individuals or businesses to install private security measures. Property owners have every right to protect themselves.
Homeowners add cameras to feel safer, and businesses install closed-circuit systems to protect employees, customers and inventory from shoplifting. In fact, my wife Anna and I used a security system only once: when I managed the Mental Health Department at Allan B. Polunsky Men’s Maximum Security Prison outside Livingston.
Because our home was large, we ran a counseling practice out of the front. Because former inmates might try to locate us after release, a security system offered peace of mind. That precaution was especially relevant following an earlier incident when we were leaving Abilene.
Our home was broken into, and money from a moving sale was stolen. Like Sherlock Holmes’s case of the dog that didn’t bark, our territorial mixed-breed dog, Ella, slept right through the break-in. Since we adopted her for companionship rather than security, we learned the hard way that her territorial instincts were strictly active during the day.
With that background in mind, I do not believe the nationwide installation of automated “Flock” license plate cameras is a wise—or perhaps even legal—step. Currently, over 6,000 communities nationwide have deployed these systems, placing tens of thousands of cameras across cities, counties and unincorporated areas.
Five major objections to these camera systems have surfaced:
- Warrantless Surveillance: The automated tracking is widely viewed as a direct violation of Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches.
- Privacy Violations: Mass surveillance occurs continuously without public input or individual consent.
- Unchecked Data Sharing: These systems share captured information across private and government entities without citizens’ consent.
- Abuse and Wrongful Stops: Misuse of these systems has resulted in wrongful stops, false hits, improper arrests, and personal stalking. The Institute for Justice has documented more than 22 cases of officers misusing surveillance tools for personal reasons.
- Lack of Regulatory Safeguards: State and federal laws have failed to keep pace with technology, leaving a dangerous void in legal protections and oversight.
Frankly, I do not trust government agencies to restrict this technology to its intended purposes. Furthermore, the data on its effectiveness is mixed. Studies show no measurable, systematic reduction in overall crime rates, even if advocates point to isolated instances of recovering stolen vehicles or apprehending suspects.
This silent expansion, which began around 2017, cannot continue without grassroots accountability.
My wife and I moved to Round Rock in Williamson County two years after Flock cameras were invented and slowly deployed. Because many central Texas communities lack a dedicated local newspaper, and because residents are busy making a living and raising families, local and county governments often operate quietly. Yet my research indicates that Williamson County communities and the Sheriff’s Department have actively deployed Flock cameras in plain sight.
I suspect most citizens remain unaware of this pervasive technology and the degree of surveillance it brings into our daily lives. As public awareness rises, local officials must have honest, transparent conversations with the communities they serve regarding the real costs and civil liberties trade-offs of this technology.
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A private practice counselor working with veterans and survivors of trauma. Previously, Chancellor served four churches in Texas for 33 years, then ran a Mental Health Department of Alan B. Polunsky Maximum Security prison which houses death row.