Wylie's license plate reader cameras will come down Oct. 13 unless the city negotiates a new deal with Flock Safety.

The Wylie City Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday, Aug. 25, to block the automatic renewal of its roughly $27,000-a-year contract with the surveillance technology company, Local Profile reported. The vote came after more than 700 residents signed a petition organized by DeFlock Wylie, a resident-led group whose campaign began in January 2026 when one resident read the contract.

Not one council member voted to keep it.

The city has used Flock's automated license plate reader cameras since August 2024. The cameras photograph passing vehicles and collect data, including plate numbers, vehicle make, model and color, stored in a searchable database available to law enforcement agencies nationwide without a warrant, according to WFAA.

As of Aug. 26, 483 organizations had access to Wylie's Flock data, according to the company's own transparency portal. The list included agencies in Oklahoma, Kansas and Ohio, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and Union Pacific Railroad police, DeFlock Wylie reported.

Police defended the system

Wylie Police Assistant Chief Tommy Walters told the council the department had not had a single policy violation related to the cameras in two years. He cited monthly search audits, a transparency portal and a requirement that officers get visual confirmation of plate information before acting on it.

"In two years we have not had a single issue of violation of department policy," Walters said. "We know what a valuable tool this is and we'd hate to lose it."

Council members acknowledged the department's record but said Flock Safety itself had not been proactive in establishing safeguards to protect residents' data. Several residents who spoke drew a distinction between trusting local police and trusting the company that stores and shares the data.

What happens next

The council will hold a work session to discuss new contract terms with Flock Safety. If no agreement is reached, the cameras come down when the current contract expires Oct. 13.

DeFlock Wylie, in a statement after the vote, said the council committed to holding working sessions with residents and law enforcement to shape what public safety tools the city uses going forward.

No date for the first work session has been announced. Residents can check wylietexas.gov for updates on scheduling.