Dallas City Council voted to apply and accept various public safety related grants totaling more than $3 million on Wednesday.
The vote was unanimous — it was part of the consent agenda which means multiple items are approved at once — and there was no discussion on the items despite some residents who voiced concerns that the money would be used to promote Flock cameras.
District 4 resident Nora Soto asked council members to hold two of the items until a more detailed explanation was given on how the money will be spent.
"It's not a coincidence that the grant amount outlined in item two is exactly the same as what is needed to fund the city's Flock contract for the next budget year," Soto said. "Y'all ain't slick."
Soto's comments come after the Dallas Police Department announced it would cease the use of about half its Flock cameras due to a pause in state grant funding. However, DPD has since said the department will look for ways to fund the 321 cameras.
One grant is for more than $1 million from the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority to address catalytic converter theft. The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority is a state agency which has contributed millions — collected through auto insurance fees — to fund Flock cameras.
City documents say the grant funds could be used for operations that include "bait cars, surveillance, arresting offenders, and traffic stops on suspects." The city plans to position a portion of those operations will be in high crime areas outlined by the DPD's violent crime task force.
The block in state grant funding came as a directive from Gov. Greg Abbott in late August. But Soto said she was skeptical about the intentions of the pause ahead of the critical November election, in which he is a candidate for reelection.
District 6 resident Barrett Johnston told council members that accepting the money did not break any rules because Abbott's directive was not law.
"The governor's directive was never a specific law, it's a vague policy statement with no requirement to disclose where the money goes," Johnston said. "Nothing stops this council from taking it now and quietly directing it to Flock later."
Flock license plate reader cameras have raised privacy concerns along with allegations of misuse and surveillance, in both Dallas and across the state.
DPD has said the Flock devices are “an important investigative tool." The cameras have been used to assist locate suspects of vehicle theft and assault along with solving homicides.
The majority of the Dallas City Council agreed earlier this month, rejecting a proposal to include a budget amendment that would have taken all funding away from Flock.
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