Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is deploying 30 Flock license plate reading cameras in The Woodlands, costing $90,000 annually, to surveill the population with the claim of detering and solving crime. Law enforcement touts these devices as a “force multiplier” that provides crucial investigative leads and acts as a criminal deterrent. However, privacy advocates like the ACLU of Texas raise alarms about the potential for widespread location tracking and the aggregation of sensitive data. Flock claims unused data is purged within 30 days, and in Montgomery County, the sheriff’s office will have exclusive access to collected information. An additional 30 cameras will be installed elsewhere in the county with state funding.