Hood County - It’s time to revisit Flock Cameras…
Hood County residents were told that Flock (ALPR) cameras would improve safety while maintaining proper oversight and accountability. However, many citizens now question whether those safeguards are truly in place.
There are growing concerns about transparency, data use, and whether local government is providing the level of accountability originally promised. It is time to revisit this system and ensure it aligns with the rights and expectations of the people of Hood County.
Hood County has taken strong stands in the past to protect constitutional rights.
Residents deserve the same level of courage and transparency when it comes to surveillance systems operating in their own community.
Sign the petition and let your voice be heard!!!
In October, 2019, Hood County declared itself a ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary County’ to ensure the citizen’s right to bear arms in the face of then Presidential Candidate Beto O’Rourke’s comments that “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47!”. In June, 2020, Hood County followed up with a formal declaration that it would be a ‘sanctuary county for all businesses’ in an attempt to free the County, its citizens, and its businesses from the unconstitutional restrictions imposed during the COVID debacle. And in February, 2026, Hood County declared itself a ‘sanctuary for the unborn’ to protect unborn children.
All of these initiatives either promoted or underscored the Constitutional Rights of We The People of Hood County, and our County elected officials are to be commended for their courage in passing these measures.
Despite these ‘Constitutional wins’, Hood County citizens are still being subjected to unconstitutional surveillance in the form of a Flock camera (Automated License Plate Reader, or ALPR) system able to track vehicle details and movement patterns of individuals.
According to Deflock, an open-source project (a link to the project is contained in the comments below) tracking the deployment and use of these systems:
“ALPRs are a serious risk to your privacy and civil liberties. These systems continuously record your movements without a warrant, probable cause, or even reasonable suspicion. Your driving history is rarely confined to the town or city where the cameras are installed. It's typically shared with thousands of other agencies nationwide (secretly). Once the data is out of your community, you have no control over how it's used or what rules apply, leading to instances of misuse.”
It’s time for both Hood County and the City of Granbury to take a bold and courageous step to protect the First and Fourth Amendment rights of We The People. As detailed above, the elected officials of Hood County have proven themselves brave on similar issues.
It’s time to abolish these Flock surveillance systems from Hood County completely.
-Greg Harrell, Hood County Republican GOP Chair
