Surveillance Without Consent: The Flock Safety Investigation

Since June 1, 2023, eleven cameras have been tracking every vehicle moving through key parts of Texarkana, Texas. The system photographs your license plate, builds a physical profile of your vehicle, records your GPS location, and checks your plate against federal and state databases — in real time. City records show that data is shared with a network of more than 800 organizations across 21 or more states.

The city council never voted to authorize the contract that built this system. This investigation is based entirely on documents obtained from the City of Texarkana under the Texas Public Information Act, cross-checked against the city's own public agenda records and the written responses of City Manager David Orr and Council Member Jay Davis.

What the Records Show

No council vote on the original 2022 contract — it was signed administratively by the Chief of Police.
A purchasing exemption filed 13 days after the contract was already signed.
A perpetual, irrevocable data license that survives contract termination, using an anonymization standard the vendor alone controls.
An audit requirement written into department policy that has never been documented as used, in over three years of operation.
800+ outside organizations across 21+ states with access to Texarkana's camera data — never itemized for the council that approved it.

Read the Full Investigation

Full Scholarly Report

The complete investigation: every finding, the full timeline, contract clause citations, and the appendix of source records. Built for citation, legal, and official use.

Download the Full Report (PDF)

Short Version

The same findings in a shorter, plain-language format — a faster read for residents who want the essentials.

Download the Short Version (PDF)

The City's Response, In Full

City Manager David Orr and Council Member Jay Davis were given advance notice and the opportunity to respond before publication. Both responses are published here in full, unedited.

Read the City's Response (PDF)

A note on fairness: Every finding in this report is sourced to a specific document produced by the City of Texarkana. Where the City's response disputes a finding, that dispute is noted directly beneath it in the full report — including places where this investigation corrected its own earlier language after the City's response identified an overstated claim. Readers are encouraged to review the source documents themselves rather than take our word for it.

Source Documents

All records referenced in this investigation, produced by the City of Texarkana under the Texas Public Information Act, are available for public review:

Complete records folder — every document produced in this investigation

This Is About You

If you live, work, or drive in Texarkana, this system already applies to you.

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The Texarkana City Council meets Monday, July 13, 2026 at 6:00 PM. If you have thoughts after reading, that's where to bring them.