Wylie Ends License Plate Reader Contract After Council Vote

The Wylie City Council gathered for its regular meeting on Tuesday evening. All seven council members voted against renewing the contract with Flock, the license plate reader company. They decided to end the program completely. The vote was unanimous and happened after a short discussion.

The cameras were first installed in August 2024. Running six of the devices costs the city about twenty‑seven thousand dollars each year. Mayor Matthew Porter explained that while the tools can help solve crimes, he is uneasy about the data being stored and shared with other agencies. He wants more clarity on who can see the information.

Assistant Police Chief Tommy Walters told the council the readers have helped officers crack a few cases. Despite that, many residents voiced worries during the meeting. They said their main concern is not how police use the readers but who else might get access to the collected data. Some asked for tighter controls on the system.

Austin Gregory, who started the group DeFlock Wylie, delivered a petition with more than seven hundred signatures. He asked the city to remove the cameras and to set clearer rules for their use. Gregory said the technology can be useful, but it needs more transparency about who is searched, when, and by which officer. The current agreement with Flock expires on October thirty‑first, so the devices are expected to be taken down around that date.