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Bandera Council Ends AI Plate Reader Amid Protests

5/20/2026

Summary

Story summary

Bandera city council voted 3-2 to end its contract with surveillance firm Flock, halting the AI license-plate-reader program.
The state-grant-funded eight-camera program sparked repeated council-meeting protests.
Vandals repeatedly destroyed the poles, forcing the town to replace them at its own cost.
Councilmember Jeff Flowers proposed banning smartphones, internet and cameras, calling it a “Bandera Declaration of Digital Independence” and saying it would return the town to an 1880-style cash-only community.

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Story summary

Bandera city council voted 3-2 to end its contract with surveillance firm Flock, halting the AI license-plate-reader program.
The state-grant-funded eight-camera program sparked repeated council-meeting protests.
Vandals repeatedly destroyed the poles, forcing the town to replace them at its own cost.
Councilmember Jeff Flowers proposed banning smartphones, internet and cameras, calling it a “Bandera Declaration of Digital Independence” and saying it would return the town to an 1880-style cash-only community.