Who's Looking? Most Searches of Pearland's Flock Data Came From

Who's Looking? Most Searches of Pearland's Flock Data Came From Out of StatePearland police have shared new numbers about how often the city's Flock camera database is used, after city council members asked questions about it. Flock cameras take pictures of license plates on cars that drive by, and police can search those records. Between August 10 and September 10, the database was searched more than 903,000 times. Most of those searches did not come from Pearland. About 61% came from police agencies in other states, 16% came from agencies in Texas, and about 9% came from agencies in the Houston area.The high numbers are likely linked to a "nationwide search" option. This feature lets any agency that joins search the camera data of every other agency that has also joined. Earlier this summer, Lucas County, Ohio found its own database had been searched more than 904,000 times in one month, and the Harris County Sheriff's Office pointed to the nationwide option as the likely reason. On September 15, Pearland turned off nationwide searches. Still, police say the cameras have been useful. Since Pearland started using them in 2022, the cameras have helped with 57% of the city's stolen vehicle recoveries.Cities around Houston are split on whether to keep Flock cameras. Last month, the Manvel City Council voted unanimously to shut theirs down. League City is letting voters decide in November, and on Tuesday the council passed a resolution promising to remove the cameras within 72 hours if voters say "no." Meanwhile, other cities, like Conroe and Liberty, recently voted to renew or continue their Flock contracts.