Texas $1 insurance surcharge fuels rapid expansion of statewide license-plate camera network

In 2023 the Texas Legislature unanimously added a $1 surcharge to auto-insurance premiums to fight catalytic converter theft, but the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority has redirected at least $30 million of that revenue to expand the Flock license-plate reader system statewide. Grants have enabled police agencies to acquire roughly 3,200 cameras, with the Texas Department of Public Safety receiving a $15.9 million contract for nearly 1,200 additional units and a recent $3 million approval for 583 toll-way cameras.

Miguel Rodriguez, chair of the authority and Laredo police chief, says the network disrupts transnational criminal operations, while Governor Greg Abbott’s spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris said the governor is halting further state funding for local camera grants. Privacy advocates and several legislators, including Rep. Mitch Little and State Sen. Carol Alvarado, argue the program violates Fourth Amendment protections and was never discussed during the fee’s passage.

Anti-surveillance group DeFlock estimates about 13,000 Flock cameras now operate in Texas, a sharp rise from 7,500 in late 2023. Recent incidents of officers misusing camera data have intensified calls for legislative limits or a ban on the technology.