Texas funded 3,200 Flock surveillance cameras through a $1 insurance surcharge sold as anti-theft

Texas policyholders paid a $1 insurance surcharge marketed as a catalytic converter theft deterrent. It funded $30 million in Flock ALPR cameras — automated license plate readers — deployed via 95 state grants to law enforcement. At least 3,200 cameras went up; most policyholders didn't know they were underwriting surveillance. Governor Abbott froze state Flock spending on August 28, 2026.