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Hood County commissioners debate $109,167 camera grant, vote to table final action
Summary
After a lengthy public and legal debate about privacy, costs and public safety, the Hood County Commissioners Court voted to table consideration of a FY2025 Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority grant to expand automatic license‑plate reader cameras. Commissioners split repeatedly over legal risk and operational costs.
Hood County Commissioners Court spent more than two hours debating whether to accept a FY2025 Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority (MVCPA) grant worth approximately $109,167 to deploy 24 additional automatic license‑plate reader (ALPR) cameras from vendor Block Safety (Flock).
County Attorney Matt Mills told the court he believed a prior resolution had authorized the county judge to accept the grant and related documents, but several commissioners and members of the public said the contract contains additional conditions that were not discussed when the resolution passed. Commissioner Eagle and others urged the court to consider budgetary obligations, reporting requirements, and the possibility of emerging case law affecting ALPR use.
The debate drew multiple public speakers and expert witnesses. Nate Criswell, a resident and privacy advocate, told the court he opposes expanding ALPR systems, arguing that warrantless plate‑tracking creates a long‑term “footprint” of residents' movements and risks…
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