Texas Department of Public Safety

Fourteen cities and counties have dropped Flock contracts, and Laredo will ask voters to weigh in during a referendum in May.

It’s not known how many applications have been unprocessed. Counties will receive a backlogged surge less than two weeks before the Oct. 5 deadline to register for the Nov. 3 election.

Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state Department of Transportation to stop issuing permits for automated license plate readers.

Law enforcement agencies from across the country search the DPS Flock database once every four seconds, on average. After the Tribune inquired, DPS said it will limit which agencies can access the network.

A suspect reportedly stole an ambulance from Fort Worth and drove it to Austin. A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper fatally shot the suspect on Thursday.

The voluntary license designation, along with training for police officers, is aimed at making law enforcement interactions safer for people with autism, hearing loss or other disabilities.

Abbott criticized Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza for delays in indicting defendants and generally not pursuing offenders harshly enough. Abbott says appointing his own statewide prosecutor and making district attorneys eligible for impeachment would fix that.

The governor announced the expansion after hundreds of arrests in Houston.

Officials approved the change after hearing from speakers who argued it would hamper the state’s economy and push immigrants to work without licenses in the black market.

The Secretary of State’s Office didn’t initially check with the Department of Public Safety, which collects proof of citizenship from people who register to vote through them.

It comes two days after Gov. Greg Abbott declared the two were foreign terrorist groups.

Heath police said Sunday the are investigating the incident.