Full transcript
TEXAS IS STILL DIVIDED ON WHAT
SHOULD BE DONE WITH LICENSE
PLATE READERS. THE DEVICES
HAVE HELPED LAW ENFORCEMENT
WITH CASES INVOLVING STOLEN
CARS IN HOMICIDES AND HAYS
COUNTY LEADERS ARE DEBATING
WHETHER THEY SHOULD GET RID OF
THEM ENTIRELY. OUR SAM STARK
SPOKE WITH TO COUNTY LEADERS
ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE
ISSUE.
THESE LITTLE DEVICES HAVE
SPARKED A GREAT DEAL OF
CONTROVERSY THROUGHOUT CENTRAL
TEXAS. I'VE NEVER FELT A MORE
DIVIDED ISSUE IN MY 2 AND HALF
YEARS LISTENING AND ALL THE
ISSUES IN THIS ONE SEEMS TO BE
EQUALLY DIVIDED ON BOTH SIDES.
ON TUESDAY, THE HAYS COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS COURT DELAYED A
VOTE THAT WOULD HAVE ENDED THE
COUNTY'S CONTRACT WITH WALK
SAFETY AND MANUFACTURE OF
LICENSE PLATE. READING NOT
COMFORTABLE, JUST CANCELING
THE CONTRACT COMPLETELY, BUT
I'M ALSO NOT COMFORTABLE WITH
EXPANDING IT AS RECENTLY AS
FEBRUARY. THE HAYS COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS COURT VOTED TO
ADD MORE FLOCK CAMERAS AROUND
THE COUNTY. HE'S COUNTY JUDGE
RUBEN BECERRA SAID A GREAT
DEAL HAS CHANGED. SINCE WHAT
HAS CHANGED IS WE HAVE
WITNESSED THE MILITARIZATION
OF OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
AGAINST ITS CITIZENRY. SARAH
SAID HE DOESN'T WANT THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ACCESS
WALK, OBTAINED INFORMATION FOR
ITS INVESTIGATION. THIS SENSE.
IT IS NOT ANTI LAW
ENFORCEMENT. IT IS NOT JUST
TRUST IN THE POLICE. IS THAT
THIS TRUST IN THE WAY FEDERAL
OVERREACH IS TAKING PLACE?
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?
DOES NOT. THE FLOCK TO FIND
YOU. THEY JUST DON'T IF
THEY'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY,
WHETHER THEY'RE LEGAL
IMMIGRANT OR THERE SAYS THEY
DON'T NEED FLOCK TO DO THAT.
HE'S COUNTY SHERIFF ANTHONY
IPPOLITO SAID THAT WHILE FLOCK
DOES NOT GIVE ITS DATABASE TO
ICE FEDERAL AGENTS ME ASK
LOCAL AGENCIES UTILIZING FLOCK
TO RUN A LICENSE PLATE. HE
SAID HE'S COUNTY DEVICES ARE
NOT BEING USED FOR MASS
SURVEILLANCE OR TO TRACK DOWN
PEOPLE HERE ILLEGALLY. I KNOW
THE CAPABILITIES OF FLOCK.
AND P OURS.
AND IT'S JUST A GAME
CHANGER FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT.
IT'S A FORCE MULTIPLIER IN HIS
COUNTY. SAM, START KXAN NEWS.
AND THE FLOCK CEO TOLD US
BACK IN JUNE, QUOTE, IN SOME
STATES AND JURISDICTIONS,
LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT WORK
WITH FEDERAL AUTHORITIES TO
ENFORCE IMMIGRATION OFFENSES
IN OTHER STATES AND
JURISDICTIONS THAT IS ILLEGAL
PER STATE LAW OR CONSIDERED
SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE. THE
POINT IS IT IS A LOCAL
DECISION, NOT FLOCKS DECISION.
AND FOR SOME MORE PERSPECTIVE,
THE CITY OF AUSTIN INSTALLED
FLOCK CAMERAS AS PART OF A
2023 PILOT PROGRAM. BUT
THEY'RE NO LONGER IN USE BACK
IN JUNE CITY COUNCIL
EFFECTIVELY ENDED THE PROGRAM
BY DELAYING A VOTE ON
CONTINUING THE USE OF THE
CANS. COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE
PUBLIC EXPRESSED PRIVACY
CONCERNS AND BECAUSE OF BUT
WAS DELAYED, THE CITY'S
CONTRACT WITH CLOCK EXPIRED AT
THE END OF JUNE. A CITY AUDIT
EARLIER THIS YEAR FOUND AN
ESTIMATED 75 MILLION LIGHT
LICENSE PLATE SCANS RESULTED
IN