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Residents urge caution on license-plate reader contract, ask council for oversight
Summary
Multiple visitors told the City of College Station they oppose expanding ALPR (Flock) camera networks, citing privacy risks, vendor terms and documented errors; the council said the item will appear on a forthcoming workshop agenda for further review.
Dozens of residents used the visitor-comment period at the July 9 College Station City Council meeting to urge the city to slow or reconsider a proposed contract for Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology from Flock.
Rob Sandicero, a retired sheriff’s deputy and Army veteran, told the council the technology raises misconceptions and that the city should "set a policy and stick to it," require audits and closely review contracts before proceeding. "Read the fine print in the contracts," he said. "Ensure audits are conducted, and you provide oversight in some way, shape, or form." (Rob Sandicero)
Other speakers pressed related concerns. Ivan Sverdjek said ALPR networks chill constitutionally protected protest activity and noted local camera data was searched repeatedly in 2025 "for the stated reason of protest." Cody Fox said Flock’s product line includes models built for live video streaming and pointed to contract language that conveys extensive vendor rights over data. John Hamilton cited accuracy problems documented elsewhere, including Oak Park’s oversight that found limited law‑enforcement value and Institute for Justice reviews of cases where plate‑reader errors led to wrongful stops.
Speakers asked the council to reject or rework any vendor agreement that lacks clear limits, liability or auditability. No formal council action was taken during the public‑comment segment; Mayor said the topic will appear on the workshop agenda later this month for fuller discussion and staff follow‑up.
