Denton, TX

Denton is tracking you.
What the Flock!

Denton has contracted with Flock Safety to operate a network of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras across the city and private businesses in Denton have too. Every plate they capture is logged, stored, and searchable whether you've done anything wrong or not.

Sign the Petition → Learn the Facts
Background

Flock Safety in Denton

61 cameras watching

61 Flock Safety cameras log every vehicle that passes plate number, make, model, color, bumper stickers, damage, and distinguishing features timestamped, location-tagged, and stored. No warrant required. 10 cameras retain data for 30 days. How long the other 51 keep it is unknown.

Gave your data to 437+ organizations

Denton has shared its Flock network with 437 organizations; including district attorneys, judicial districts, the TABC, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and agencies from Oklahoma. Denton also automatically reports hits to the FBI.
See the map →

Transparency gaps

Only 10 of Denton's 61 cameras are publicly claimed. Denton often doesn't log what crime triggered a search, doesn't report how frequently the system is used, and doesn't disclose how many residents are tracked. Other cities publish this data about their mass surveillance equipment. Denton doesn't.

Known Flock cameras in Denton

Camera locations are community-reported via DeFlock and sourced from OpenStreetMap. Click any marker for details.

See a camera that's missing? Add it to DeFlock →

So why does it matter that Denton has this system?
Privacy & Civil Liberties

Why this matters to Denton residents

"No warrant is required. Any officer with system access can search any plate, at any time, for any reason."
Denton's Flock Safety contract — current policy
21+
documented abuse cases nationwide

Abuse of the system

Zero oversight No warrant required. Any officer with system access can search any plate, at any time, for any reason.
Obsessive tracking An officer ran his ex-girlfriend's plate 69 times, her mother's 24 times, and her father's 15 times over several months.
Stalking an ex A police lieutenant tracked his estranged wife. A separate police chief searched his ex-girlfriend's plate 228 times over four months.
Abortion surveillance A deputy searched 83,345 cameras to locate a woman in an abortion investigation, then told the public it was a welfare check.
Sold your data An officer ran plates through his city login and transferred the data to a private company he also worked for.
Tip of the iceberg Most cases only surfaced after behavior was egregious enough to trigger termination or arrest. These are the ones we know about.
0
independent studies proving it works

No meaningful impact

Zero evidence There is no independent research proving ALPRs reduce crime. Every study claiming otherwise was produced by the companies selling the cameras or the agencies buying them.
Conflict of interest Flock says their cameras solve 10% of U.S. crime. That study was written by two Flock employees. A 404 Media investigation found one researcher later raised concerns about its integrity.
No deterrent effect Plate reader patrols in crime hot spots generated no deterrent effect; general or offense-specific. (Journal of Experimental Criminology)
16 years. Nothing. No meaningful correlation between ALPR deployment and stolen vehicle recoveries; across 16 years of data. (Independent Institute)
6K+
agencies with access vs. 90 disclosed

Security risk

Jul 2025
Flock exposed a misconfigured demo site containing internal source code and a live ArcGIS admin API key with access to over 50 private data layers.
Nov 2025
A security researcher found Flock login credentials for sale on Russian hacking forums. Flock does not require multifactor authentication, which researchers say violates federal law and basic industry security standards.
Dec 2025
At least 60 Flock cameras were found fully exposed to the open internet with no authentication required and live footage accessible through commercial search engines.
Boulder
90 agencies listed. 6,000+ actually had access. Flock's own transparency portal let the city decide what to disclose. A public records request revealed the real number was 67x higher.
Dayton
7,100 illegal immigration searches. An audit found Flock data had been used for exactly the purpose the city's own policy explicitly prohibited.
Evanston
Flock reinstalled cameras after the city canceled. When Evanston, Illinois terminated its contract and ordered the cameras removed, Flock put them back without permission and kept collecting data.
24+
innocent people detained at gunpoint since 2018

Dangerous police encounters

Mar 2009
San Francisco: Denise Green was pulled from her car at gunpoint after an ALPR misread a single digit on her plate. Officers kept her handcuffed on her knees for over 10 minutes after confirming the error. The city paid $495,000 to settle.
2020
In Aurora, Colorado, a mother and her family; including her 6-year-old daughter; were forced at gunpoint to lie face down on hot pavement after a plate from a stolen Montana motorcycle was mismatched to their Colorado vehicle. The city settled for $1.9 million in 2024.
Feb 2025
A Flock camera in Sherwood, Arkansas misread a plate and led officers to detain an innocent couple at gunpoint while their six-week-old baby sat alone in a car seat.
Oct 2025
Denver area: Chrisanna Elser had a Columbine Valley officer show up at her door with a court summons, citing Flock footage as proof she stole a $25 package. The officer refused to show her the video. She spent weeks gathering evidence to prove her own innocence before charges were dismissed.
Who in Denton has the power to stop this?
Your Representatives

Who decides and how to reach them

These seven elected officials hold the power to terminate Denton's contract with Flock Safety. They work for you. Let them know where you stand.

Chris Watts
Chris Watts
Mayor
Contact
Jordan E. Villarreal
Jordan E. Villarreal
District 1
Contact
Nick Stevens
Nick Stevens
Mayor Pro Tem · District 2
Contact
Suzi Rumohr
Suzi Rumohr
District 3
Contact
Joe Holland
Joe Holland
District 4
Contact
George Ferrie
George Ferrie
At-Large Place 5
Contact
Jill Jester
Jill Jester
At-Large Place 6
Contact

Council meets the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of each month · 6:30 p.m. · City Hall, 215 E. McKinney St. · View upcoming meetings →

Not sure which district you're in?

Enter your address in the map below to find out.

Map source: City of Denton GIS · Download PDF version →

Take Action

Ready to make your voice heard?

You don't have to be an activist. You just have to show up. Here's how residents are making a difference.

1
Sign the petition

Add your name to the growing list of Denton residents calling on the city to remove all Flock Safety cameras. Takes 30 seconds.
Sign now →

2
Learn what Denton's contract actually says

File a Public Information Request with the city to get the full contract, camera locations, and data-sharing terms. It's free and legally required to be answered.
Start here →

3
Contact your city council member

A brief, respectful email or call goes a long way. Tell them you're a constituent concerned about the Flock Safety contract and ask how they voted and where they stand.
Find your rep →

4
Speak at a city council meeting

Every Denton City Council meeting includes a public comment period. You get 3 minutes. You don't need to be an expert; just a resident who cares.
View the schedule →

5
Talk to your neighbors

Most residents don't know these cameras exist or what they do. Sharing this page or just having a conversation is one of the most effective forms of organizing.

Sign the Petition on Change.org
Denton vehicles tracked
0
since you opened this page
Source: Flock's own portal →