League City voters could soon decide future fate of Flock cameras in city limits

LEAGUE CITY, Texas (KTRK) -- As backlash over Flock cameras continues to grow across the country, the future of the automated license plate readers in League City could soon be up for voters to decide.

Mayor Nick Long said he's heard citizens' concerns and is taking action in next week's city council meeting.

"Heard from a lot of citizens that they wanted a say on the issue. So, I'm proposing on the meeting this coming Tuesday to put it up for a referendum to allow the citizens of League City to have a say on it," Mayor Long said.

Long said he wants city councilmembers to approve a proposed ordinance, which would order a special election to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, allowing action from the qualified voters of the city regarding the League City Police Department's continued use of automated license plate reader cameras.

"I think what I'm more concerned about is the abuses we've seen with the cameras, right? There's a high-profile case in Pasadena. There's another one in Baytown, and a quick Google search, you'll find, you know, 100 of them across the country," Long said.

In Pasadena, the investigation continues into a former officer accused of misusing Flock cameras to track a fellow female officer, according to a councilmember there.

In Baytown, the police chief announced his department was investigating another officer for abusing the cameras.

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

Long said he wants to make sure citizens in League City don't have their privacy infringed on, adding that even if the cameras continue, they plan to make sure a new camera committee is formed to ensure proper practice.

"On a quarterly basis, we would randomly select various access points into the cameras and make sure all the procedures were followed. Double-verify the two officers accessing the cameras, so not an officer on their own. And then also a case number tied to that investigation. And so the idea behind that is it would stop some of the abuses," Long said.