In 2023, the Texas Legislature unanimously passed a law raising auto insurance costs by $1 to combat catalytic converter theft. Three years later, the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority has devoted at least $30 million of that fee to expand the state’s Flock surveillance network, placing cameras from El Paso to the Louisiana border. The agency has awarded 95 grants for about 2,000 Flock cameras and allocated $15.9 million to the Texas Department of Public Safety for nearly 1,200 more.

In early August, it approved another $3 million for 583 additional cameras on tollways. Chair Miguel Rodriguez, also Laredo Police Chief, said the goal is to “cover the entire state” with cameras to disrupt transnational criminal organizations. However, after Tribune inquiries, Gov.

Greg Abbott’s office paused state funding for local Flock grants, stating funds cannot be used for such cameras. The $1 fee has raised an estimated $81 million, with $50.8 million funneled into 234 grants for police departments, crime analysts, attorneys, drones, and surveillance devices. Grants range from $7,000 for two cameras in Bellmead to nearly $1.7 million for 201 in Dallas.

Networks in Laredo (165 cameras) and El Paso (150) were fully grant-subsidized. The agency does not track how much grant money went specifically to Flock cameras, and 124 grants lack clear documentation, suggesting the actual number of cameras may be higher. Backlash is growing over surveillance concerns, including from legislators who say the fee’s use for AI license plate readers was never discussed when the bill passed.