Resident urges Abilene to remove Flock license‑plate readers, cites privacy concerns

At the public-comment portion of the Abilene City Council meeting, resident Spencer Butcher urged officials to remove Flock automated cameras and license‑plate readers from Abilene neighborhoods, arguing the devices create a “dragnet” and collect images beyond license plates. Butcher said he found three cameras in the city and that many neighbors were unaware they were being watched.

Butcher cited a reported false‑positive rate for the technology of "32 to 71%" and read examples the police chief had provided of cases where the vendor supplied images used in investigations. "These cameras that are looking at your house 24 hours a day without warrant, without cause," he said. No staff action on the device was announced in the meeting record; the comment was entered into the public record during the designated public-comment period.