We, the undersigned residents and supporters of Abilene and Taylor County, petition the Abilene City Council, Taylor County Commissioners Court, and Abilene Police Department, each within its lawful authority, to end local-government use of all automatic license-plate readers (ALPRs)—fixed, mobile, and networked, regardless of vendor—and to stop indiscriminate mass surveillance of people traveling on public roads and in public places. Replacing Flock Safety with Axon or another ALPR vendor is not the change we seek.

Why this matters now: Abilene Police reported operating 13 fixed Flock cameras in July 2026. Local reporting says the City Council approved a purchase including 28 Axon Outpost pole-mounted cameras in September 2026. Axon advertises ALPR and live-video capabilities for Outpost, but approval does not establish that these 28 units are installed, activated, or configured to stream. Taylor County’s Resolution 4-26 authorized the sheriff to enter a TxDOT right-of-way agreement for ALPR cameras; the resolution alone does not show that county cameras were installed.

What we ask:

1. Abilene City Council: Pause installation and activation of the 28 reported Axon Outpost units; disclose locations, proposed ALPR/live-video settings, and contract terms. Adopt a city policy or ordinance, to the extent permitted by law, ending city acquisition, operation, funding, and voluntary use of all ALPRs and third-party ALPR databases. Lawfully phase out Flock and prohibit routine, indiscriminate fixed-camera live monitoring of public roads and places. Do not substitute another vendor’s equivalent system.
2. Taylor County Commissioners Court: Rescind Resolution 4-26 and, subject to applicable legal obligations, withdraw or terminate resulting TxDOT right-of-way and vendor arrangements. End county acquisition, funding, operation, and voluntary access to or contribution of data to ALPR networks regardless of vendor; remove county-controlled ALPR units if any were installed. Apply the same rule to indiscriminate fixed-camera mass monitoring in county-controlled programs.
3. Abilene Police Department: Within its authority and subject to law, stop using Flock and any other ALPR system or third-party plate database; do not activate Axon Outpost ALPR or routine live monitoring; stop voluntary ALPR data-sharing; and work with City Council on lawful retirement of these systems.
4. All three addressees: Cooperate in public hearings, disclose legally releasable inventories, contracts, costs, policies, deployment status, retention and sharing rules, and provide a written response. Preserve and dispose of existing records as required by law.

Why supporters may back this ban: The twelve statements below reproduce the Texas Privacy Coalition’s petition reason options, in its order. They are possible reasons, not assertions every signer must endorse.

1. Long-term tracking without a warrant violates Supreme Court precedent (Carpenter, Jones).
2. I do not consent to my movements being tracked, stored, or searchable by government or corporations.
3. ALPR data has been misused by officers to stalk, target, or harass individuals.
4. Tracking presents serious risks for domestic-violence victims and vulnerable groups.
5. ALPR systems are high-value hacking targets for criminals and foreign actors.
6. Misread plates and bad hits have caused innocent people to be detained at gunpoint.
7. It’s unclear who can access or share this data — local police, DPS, sheriffs, fusion centers, or federal agencies.
8. Cross-agency sharing (FlockNet) spreads our data far beyond our community.
9. Mass surveillance has a chilling effect on free movement and assembly.
10. Private companies like Flock profit from mass surveillance infrastructure.
11. ALPR has not been proven effective at reducing crime.
12. Surveillance infrastructure is not appropriate for a small, trust-based town.

Sign the petition to ask Abilene and Taylor County officials for a public hearing, a written response, and an end to government ALPR use and indiscriminate mass surveillance within their authority. This request does not seek to end body-worn cameras, ordinary cameras securing a specific site, or lawful individualized investigations.