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U.S. lawmakers push warrant requirement for Flock Safety data

8/25/2026

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Summary

Story summary

U.S. lawmakers and local officials are moving to curb Flock Safety license-plate camera use.
Rep. Keith Self (R-McKinney) introduced legislation requiring federal warrants to access Flock data.
Harris County commissioners faced a resident rally on Aug. 17 demanding removal of Flock cameras.
Grafton and East Bridgewater police terminated their Flock contracts after the company cut data retention to seven days.

History

Historical Context

In 1972 the Supreme Court’s United States v. United States District Court (the Keith case) held that the Fourth Amendment forbids warrantless wiretaps for domestic security, requiring a judicial warrant for bulk telephone or location data. Today Rep. Keith Self and Harris County invoke Keith to demand federal warrants for license-plate camera footage, extending the Court’s privacy rule to commercial data collectors.

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Story summary

U.S. lawmakers and local officials are moving to curb Flock Safety license-plate camera use.
Rep. Keith Self (R-McKinney) introduced legislation requiring federal warrants to access Flock data.
Harris County commissioners faced a resident rally on Aug. 17 demanding removal of Flock cameras.
Grafton and East Bridgewater police terminated their Flock contracts after the company cut data retention to seven days.

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