FLOCK Safety Cameras Coming to Fair Oaks Ranch

Coming Soon!

The City is installing the Flock Safety Camera System at all major entrances to our City. These cameras will utilize License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology to support public safety efforts and enhance law enforcement capabilities.

Nine cameras are planned to be installed around the City. The City expects the system to go live in early August 2025, after staff implements the technology AND adopts clear policies and procedures governing the system's use.

How does Flock work? As vehicles pass by, the system cameras take a photo of the rear of the vehicle and a close-up image of the license plate. The system then compares this license plate against national law enforcement databases of vehicles of interest. If a match is found, an immediate alert is sent to the Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department. In addition to real-time alerts, the system will also be used to aid criminal investigations after an incident has occurred.

City leaders understand that the use of technology like this will likely raise important questions about privacy. To be fully transparent, here are the key privacy principles the City will ensure before operating the Flock system in Fair Oaks Ranch:

1. The cameras will not be used for issuing traffic citations or monitoring driving behavior.

2. Only authorized Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department personnel will have access to the system, and all access will be logged and audited.

3. Captured data will be securely stored for only 30 days unless it is part of an active investigation.

4. The cameras do not capture images of individuals and do not use facial recognition technology.

5. All data collected will be used solely for law enforcement purposes and will never be sold or used for any commercial purposes.

Sneak peek - the City, is working on a Flock Transparency Portal to share policies, frequently asked questions, and certain operational statistics. The portal is still under development - thanks for being patient as we pull this together.

Please stay tuned for more information as this project develops.