Dallas keeps 300 license plate cameras after company offers free 90-day extension

Dallas is keeping more than 300 Flock Safety cameras on the street after the surveillance company stepped in with a sudden offer. Flock Safety, based in Atlanta, paused payments for 90 days for agencies hit by a state funding freeze. Dallas Police met with Flock Safety Chief Executive Officer Garrett Langley on Wednesday night to lock in the deal. The move saves devices that police said would otherwise go dark without state grants. At least two other cities and one county, Addison, New Braunfels and Johnson County, also received the 90-day extension allowing them to keep cameras rolling. Governor Greg Abbott halted state funding for the artificial intelligence-powered cameras in late August after an investigation showed a small state agency spent at least $30 million on more than 3,200 cameras across Texas. During the 90-day pause, departments do not make payments and keep full access to the cameras. Officials in Addison, New Braunfels and Johnson County were also told they can exit their Flock contracts with no penalties if state funding does not return when the pause ends. Local leaders admitted they are waiting out the clock. "We’re so close to that November election that I think it would be a little premature for us to pull the plug without seeing where this is going to go," Johnson County Commissioner Rick Bailey said during a September meeting. Addison City Councilmember Marlin Willesen said he expects state money to come back. For your own town contracts, a 90-day grace period is a rare break when state grants suddenly vanish.