Article By Frank Bergman
A Texas constable has gone viral nationwide after personally shutting down controversial Flock Safety surveillance cameras in his county and declaring a victory for privacy and limited government.
Hood County Precinct 2 Constable John Shirley posted photographs on social media showing himself and colleagues unplugging the license plate-reading cameras and placing bags over them.
“Today is a good day for the Freedom of the people of Hood County,” Shirley wrote.
He then made clear exactly why the cameras had to go.
‘Privacy Isn’t Optional’
“I’ve finished the job of shutting down the county’s Flock cameras,” Shirley wrote.
“They’ve been completely unplugged and covered.
“These cameras were constantly scanning and recording regular folks just going about their day.
That kind of permanent, warrantless tracking doesn’t belong in a free society.”
Shirley said residents should not have to wonder whether every trip they make is being logged and stored in a surveillance database.
“By unplugging and covering them, we’re making it clear: privacy isn’t optional, and mass surveillance isn’t how we do things here,” he wrote.
“This is what limited government looks like.
“People in Hood County shouldn’t have to wonder if every trip they take is being logged and stored.
“I’m proud we got this done. It’s a real win for the citizens of this county.”
Shirley finished with a blunt message for the surveillance company:
“To Flock Safety Systems: come get your garbage out of my county.”
Americans Demand Same Action Elsewhere
The post quickly exploded online, with commenters calling on sheriffs, constables, city councils, and county officials across the country to follow Hood County’s lead.
Flock Safety’s cameras automatically scan license plates and create searchable records that can be used by law enforcement agencies.
Critics have long warned that such systems can become tools for mass tracking, allowing authorities to reconstruct where ordinary Americans have traveled without obtaining a warrant.
Shirley’s move has now turned that argument into direct action.
Flock Faces Growing Scrutiny
The controversy comes just weeks after The Washington Post reported 46 cases in which police officers were accused of improperly using Flock’s license plate camera network to stalk women or locate other individuals.
Flock CEO Garrett Langley acknowledged the company could have done more to prevent abuse.
“Hindsight tends to be very clear,” Langley told CBS.
“And I think, of course, we could have done more earlier, and we listen, and we learn, and we’ll continue to move forward because until everyone has an equal level of safety in this country, we have work to do.”
For Shirley, the answer was simpler.
He did not wait for another policy review, software update, or corporate promise.
He unplugged the cameras.
And his message to the rest of the country was unmistakable: permanent surveillance of law-abiding Americans has no place in a free society.
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