UNIVERSAL CITY, Texas – On major streets in Universal City, black cameras attached to poles keep an eye on the thousands of cars that pass by.
It’s part of the Flock Safety camera system. Universal City has had the system in place for about two months.
“I was kind of skeptical at first,” said Universal City Police Lt. Stephen Rios. “But it’s been a game changer.”
Cameras capture car information
So far, 12 of the cameras are installed in Universal City. The department has their locations listed on their policy for the camera’s usage.
When a car passes one of the cameras, the system takes a picture of the back of the car. It captures a car’s:
- make
- model
- color
- license plate
- bumper stickers
“It’s a reactive tool more than anything,” said Universal Police Chief Johnny Siemens.
Siemens credits the system with helping solve more cases of stolen vehicles and other property thefts.
In December 2024, Live Oak police also credited the Flock system for helping them make an arrest in a gas station shooting.
“I think that it’s impacted the profession profoundly,” Siemens said.
Privacy questioned
While police praise the system, others believe it puts privacy at risk.
“Everyone has something to worry about with this system, because it is tracking people’s movements regardless of whether they have been accused of any wrongdoing,” said Savannah Kumar, a staff attorney with ACLU Texas.
She believes the presence of the cameras is concerning.
“That means that our daily activities of traveling to doctor’s appointments, to dropping off our kids at various activities, the religious centers that we go to or AA meetings — all of that is captured,” said Kumar.
The constitutionality of the cameras has even been questioned in court. In October 2024, a federal lawsuit was filed against Norfolk, Virginia claiming the Flock system violates driver’s civil rights.
Norfolk Lawsuit by gjimenez on Scribd
When asked what he would say to someone who has concerns about privacy with the system, Siemens said he’s “a citizen like everybody else.”
“I don’t want Big Brother watching any more than anybody else does,” Siemens said. “Rest assured, we’re not.”
Siemens said that’s why he created a department policy for how the Flock cameras are used, who has access to the data and how long the data is stored.
“It’s made a really big difference,” said Rios.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.
