Sherman Council Votes Monday on Whether to Let Its Flock Cameras Go

Sherman's city council will decide Monday whether to unplug the city's license plate cameras. The push came from residents, and the mayor says the council heard them.

What is on the agenda

The agenda for the Monday, Oct. 19 meeting lists Resolution No. 7682. It would direct the city manager "not to Renew or Extend the Term of the Agreement with Flock Group, Inc. for the Provision of Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Devices and to take other action related thereto." It is listed as its own resolution, not one of the routine consent items. The meeting starts at 5 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 220 W. Mulberry St.

According to KXII, Sherman has 11 Flock cameras, and they could come down if the resolution passes.

Why now

Mayor Shawn Teamann told KXII the council has heard residents' concerns too many times to ignore. "I do believe it is the responsibility of the local elected officials to represent their community and their constituent base. And so we've requested to have this item added," he said.

Teamann said the measure would take effect immediately if passed, though removing the cameras would take some time. KXII reported it would also require a public hearing before any city department could install such cameras in the future. He said officials met with other Grayson County cities while drafting it, so those towns would "have the blueprints" to do something similar.

Grayson County resident William Hodges told the station the cameras are unconstitutional. "We're not supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty and don't need to be surveilled in advance," he said.

Not everyone in Texoma agrees. KXII reported that officers used the cameras this week to catch two assault suspects driving from Dallas through Ardmore. Ardmore resident Jortez Roberts said that changed his mind: "I was against Flock cameras, I'm not going to lie to you, but stuff like that, that's reasonable, that's understandable."

The state picture

Sherman is not acting alone. On Oct. 13, Texas Comptroller Don Huffines announced that future grants run by his office can't be used to buy, extend or renew license plate reader systems from Flock or anyone else. "The government has no business tracking where law-abiding Texans drive," he said.

What else is on Monday's agenda

Consent items on the agenda include holiday decor for the parks department and a new Spartan pumper for the fire department. They also include a K-9 Tahoe and five 2027 Tahoe patrol units for police, plus a pickup for Water Quality Services. The agenda says citizen comments are taken only on items listed on it.

Weighing safety against liberty is exactly what a city council is for. Whatever Sherman decides, it is deciding in public, after hearing from the people it serves. That is how it should work.

Related on Dock Line: Odessa Starts Asking Whether Its Flock Cameras Are Worth the Privacy Cost; Texas Comptroller Bars His Grants From Paying for Flock Cameras