North Richland Hills estimates $2.3 million for Flock camera records

North Richland Hills, a Fort Worth-area suburb, gave a Flock camera records requester a $2.3 million upfront estimate, according to The Texas Tribune. The North Richland Hills Flock records estimate was based on reviewing nearly a terabyte of communications about errors, misuse and the system’s effectiveness, work the city put at more than 14 years at $15 an hour.

The request was filed in late August by Phil Mynona, a pseudonym used by a representative of the Texas Privacy Coalition. Mynona has submitted similar requests to nearly 200 law-enforcement agencies to learn how they use Flock Safety’s automated license plate reader system.

The $2.3 million figure is an estimate for reviewing records, rather than a disclosed final charge. Mynona later narrowed the request. North Richland Hills did not tell the Tribune whether that change would reduce the bill, but its police department said in a social-media post that the revised request was expected to cost significantly less. It did not provide a new estimate.

Why did North Richland Hills put a $2.3 million estimate on Flock records?

In its public response, the city described the initial estimate as understandably shocking and said it reflected the communications it was legally required to review in the nearly terabyte-sized collection. Police Chief Jeff Garner said the department strives for transparency and said its license-plate-reader use follows community principles and supports crime victims.

The evidence available does not establish whether the city’s calculation or billing approach complies with Texas public-records law. A city spokesperson confirmed the invoice to the Tribune and directed questions about the department’s Flock program to a city webpage.

What the request sought

Flock cameras record license plate numbers and other vehicle details, including make, model, bumper stickers and dents, the Tribune reported. Officers can search cameras operated by hundreds of police agencies in a single query.

Public records can supply details that agencies do not otherwise publish, including camera locations, data-retention periods and vehicle-search frequency. The Tribune reported that disclosures obtained through such requests have contributed to investigations, arrests, policy changes and audits.

Mynona told the Tribune that North Richland Hills’ estimate was far beyond his other experiences. He said Sealy, Texas, provided more than 400,000 pages at no charge, while the highest previous quote he had received was $5,000 from Victoria, Texas. Those examples reflect one requester’s experience, not a statewide price schedule.

Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based vendor, provides the camera system, while the public disclosure decisions described in the reporting rest with state and local agencies. The revised North Richland Hills estimate has not been disclosed.

This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.