Sugar Land recently approved funding for neighborhood surveillance technology, including cameras. (Alan J. Hendry/Unsplash).
Sugar Land recently approved a multi-million dollar contract for new surveillance technology. Here’s what you need to know.
On Jan. 6, Sugar Land City Council approved new amendments to an existing contract with Flock Safety for surveillance technology, bringing the city’s total investment with the Atlanta-based company to $2.2 million. With the new contract comes a five-year lease for license plate reader cameras from Flock. $500,000 was also invested in two autonomous drones and updated real-time crime center software from Axon Enterprises, a company based in Scottsdale, Arizona. With this approval, Sugar Land will have around 176 Flock cameras in operation throughout the area.
Chron spoke with a Sugar Land spokesperson about the decision—which was approved through a 6-0 city council vote—with the spokesperson saying, “The Sugar Land Police Department’s use of Flock cameras and drones has helped save lives in the search for missing persons, in critical incidents and to help solve cases. Council’s approval to support funding for these real-time, surveillance tools reinforces the direction of our Police Department in keeping our citizens and community safe.”
Currently, the Sugar Land Police Department operates 10 drones. Two “drone first responders” are set to be added to that collection shortly. Despite the council’s emphasis on improving safety in the area, privacy concerns exist regarding the increased presence of surveillance software.
Flock cameras have been used in Sugar Land since 2017
The Sugar Land Police Department has reportedly been using Flock cameras since 2017. In 2023, a contract with the company was approved for an additional 106 cameras. According to the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Police Department’s usage of these cameras more than doubled in less than a year (from June 2024 to May 2025, per that outlet’s reporting). Data reviewed by the Chronicle also noted that despite this increase in surveillance, the number of searches conducted by the HPD through these cameras including “a clearly defined law enforcement purpose” actually decreased.
Additional concerns have been flagged over the fact that Flock’s camera network allows for data-sharing between agencies, meaning that multiple agencies within the same network can access each other’s data. A spokesperson for Sugar Land spoke about this issue with the Houston Business Journal, saying, “Agencies who are in the Flock network share information only when access is granted by that agency — There are dozens of agencies who collaborate together to locate criminals, missing persons, stolen vehicles, etc.”
It’s important to note as well that the Texas Department of Public Safety is currently investigating Flock in relation to operating license issues. The Sugar Land spokesperson said the city is aware of the investigation and had been prior to the city council vote.
