Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed police departments to stop spending state money on Flock Safety cameras, and Florida Gov. Ron De Santis ordered their removal from state roads. Both Republicans, known for tough-on-crime stances, cited surveillance overreach concerns. The move signals a political shift against license-plate readers deployed by tens of thousands nationwide.

In Jacksonville, Fla., the Republican sheriff paused a 150-camera program days after praising its role in solving a kidnapping. Similar restrictions are advancing in Indiana, Kansas, and Tennessee, where the Knox County Commission unanimously voted to remove Flock cameras. Democratic leaders also acted: Columbus, Ohio, Mayor Andrew Ginther paused the city's program to investigate potential officer misuse, and Los Angeles halted use.

Flock contracts with 7,000 law enforcement agencies and operates over 100,000 cameras. Abuses include an East Texas officer accused of using the system 10,000 times to track his ex-girlfriend. Flock defends its technology as a public safety tool supporting bipartisan privacy guardrails.

Dallas Police will deactivate 321 state-funded cameras but retain 300 others purchased locally.