3 deputies' access to Flock cameras suspended, Harris County Sheriff's Office says

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Three deputies have been suspended from using Flock Safety's system a day after the company announced new safeguards to prevent law enforcement from misusing its cameras, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

On Thursday, Flock Safety announced it was making changes to its platform to quell privacy concerns and to combat documented abuses of its system by law enforcement officers. Critics reacted skeptically, saying the changes still leave room for abuses.

READ MORE: Flock announces changes amid backlash over its license plate reader network

On Friday, the sheriff's office released a statement saying it is using Flock's new auditing tool to monitor deputies' use of license plate readers and investigate "questionable activity."

In addition to using the new tool, HCSO added that it will now require deputies to provide a descriptive case code for all license plate searches.

While Sheriff Ed Gonzalez acknowledged that Flock cameras have been useful in thwarting kidnapping attempts, recovering stolen vehicles, and resolving other crimes, he admitted the technology is subject to abuse.

The sheriff's office said that it decided to release the statement after an inquiry into three deputies' questionable use of the Flock system.

HCSO said that in response, it disabled access to the system for those deputies and was conducting an administrative review into their use of Flock cameras. They added that any policy violations revealed during their investigation could result in disciplinary action and potential charges from the Harris County DA's Office.

SEE ALSO: Deer Park officer disciplined after misusing Flock cameras, department says

The move by the sheriff's office comes amid increased scrutiny nationwide over surveillance concerns and rising cases of law enforcement officers misusing the extensive camera system.

At a recent Harris County commissioners court meeting, residents asked officials to cancel contracts with the tech company over privacy concerns. A day later, ABC13 reported that Flock cameras in the Houston area had been destroyed for the second time that week.

Across Southeast Texas, like the rest of the country, Flock cameras continue to make headlines.

Officers in Baytown and Pasadena have been investigated over misuse of the cameras.

In Fort Bend County, a deputy was suspended for looking up the same person's plate 41 times and another person's plate 148 times.

Council meetings in League City have discussed the use of the cameras in the city, while Conroe residents recently demanded more transparency about the license plate readers.

In its statement, HCSO said Flock cameras focus solely on vehicles and license plates, not people, adding that the technology does not identify individuals, analyze faces, or utilize any form of biometric data.

While this is true for its license plate reader cameras, known as the Falcon series, Flock's website lists a variety of other types of surveillance cameras, including its Condor series, which uses a pan-tilt-zoom camera with "AI-powered analytics" to track movement and zoom in on individuals and vehicles in real time.

The sheriff's office did not say whether there are Flock devices other than license plate readers in Harris County, but it did say it manages 20 of the 480 cameras there.