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Photo by Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
May 25, 2026
Bandera City Council cancels license plate readers; council member issues public statement
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
Bandera City Council members approved the removal of Flock Safety license plate readers within the city limits, as well as the discontinuation of Flock Safety’s agreement with the city, however the discussion continues.
The initial contract/grant included five cameras, one of which was installed in February and sawed down two days later. Severe public outcry in opposition to the cameras immediately followed. A second LPR was installed, but not yet activated, on a city-owned light pole in April, “because they are more robust and can’t be cut down.”
After a check was issued to Flock Safety in March, Council Member Debbie Breen questioned why an invoice was paid while the matter was being debated.
“Why did we pay when there was obvious contention?” Breen asked. “In February, it was very clear how citizens felt, but we paid the bill in March.”
Numerous people, both city and county residents, have cited their objections to the cameras, which have been vandalized and/or cut down at other locations throughout the county.
Expressing his concerns about accountability, Allen Jehle, a senior developer of cyber security and IT operations engineer, said Flock’s statements in privacy policy are not adequate. Dr. Randi Mellon urged council to cancel the Flock Safety contract, stating, “the $7.5 billion company answers to investors, not us.”
Jason Mayhew said the LPRs lead to racial profiling in searchable data bases.
“Arguing that ‘if you don’t do anything wrong, you don’t have anything to hide,’ is the same as saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say,” Mayhew said.
How many more meetings are we going to have to have before you understand the community didn’t vote for this, and they don’t want it,” David Maine said. “How many times are the poles going to get cut down?”
On May 13, Council Member Jeff Flowers, who voted against removal of the cameras, wrote a satirical letter to the editor, calling for a “declaration of digital independence.” (See: https://www.banderaprophet.com/letters-to-the-editor.html). Once again, public backlash ensued.
Flowers replied:
“Setting the Record Straight: Facts, Not Fiction
To the Citizens of Bandera:
… Following the City Council’s 3-2 vote to terminate our fully funded state grant for public safety cameras, I published a piece utilizing a classic literary device known as a ‘Modest Proposal.’ It was a satirical mirror meant to highlight a glaring contradiction: the idea that we can demand absolute privacy on public roads while carrying GPS trackers in our pockets and pointing security cameras at our neighbors' sidewalks.
Predictably, the vocal minority and several national media outlets completely missed the satire. Instead, it triggered a wave of unhinged, anonymous cyber-bullying, vulgar insults, and outright fabrications sent to my inbox. Local political cartoonists have even labeled my stance as ‘political suicide.’ This may be true for politicians that soley vote to get re-elected, but my core beliefs and how I vote on municipal issues are based on the long-term well-being of this community, not on whether I think I will get re-elected. I did not run for City Council to protect a title; I ran to protect Bandera.
Let’s map out the cold, hard facts:
I fully support the law-and-order vision championed by President Trump and Governor Abbott—a vision built on robust policies designed to secure our communities and stop the fallout from failed liberal agendas. Governor Abbott and the Texas Department of Public Safety have fully embraced this technology, backing it with a $26 million state contract to clean up our highways. Just this week, Governor Abbott explicitly addressed this technology, telling local officials to stop being easy on criminals and start deploying whatever tools they can access to quickly solve crimes.
Turning our backs on state funding to keep our Town Marshal blind doesn't protect the Constitution; it protects out-of-town criminals, human traffickers, and abductors who use stolen vehicles to target our communities. As we enter Memorial Day weekend and honor the brave men and women who sacrificed everything for our freedom, let’s remember that true security requires active vigilance. It’s time for Bandera to look at the real numbers, look at the real threats, and decide if we actually stand for the law-and-order principles we vote for, or if we just like the slogan.”
The initial contract/grant included five cameras, one of which was installed in February and sawed down two days later. Severe public outcry in opposition to the cameras immediately followed. A second LPR was installed, but not yet activated, on a city-owned light pole in April, “because they are more robust and can’t be cut down.”
After a check was issued to Flock Safety in March, Council Member Debbie Breen questioned why an invoice was paid while the matter was being debated.
“Why did we pay when there was obvious contention?” Breen asked. “In February, it was very clear how citizens felt, but we paid the bill in March.”
Numerous people, both city and county residents, have cited their objections to the cameras, which have been vandalized and/or cut down at other locations throughout the county.
Expressing his concerns about accountability, Allen Jehle, a senior developer of cyber security and IT operations engineer, said Flock’s statements in privacy policy are not adequate. Dr. Randi Mellon urged council to cancel the Flock Safety contract, stating, “the $7.5 billion company answers to investors, not us.”
Jason Mayhew said the LPRs lead to racial profiling in searchable data bases.
“Arguing that ‘if you don’t do anything wrong, you don’t have anything to hide,’ is the same as saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say,” Mayhew said.
How many more meetings are we going to have to have before you understand the community didn’t vote for this, and they don’t want it,” David Maine said. “How many times are the poles going to get cut down?”
On May 13, Council Member Jeff Flowers, who voted against removal of the cameras, wrote a satirical letter to the editor, calling for a “declaration of digital independence.” (See: https://www.banderaprophet.com/letters-to-the-editor.html). Once again, public backlash ensued.
Flowers replied:
“Setting the Record Straight: Facts, Not Fiction
To the Citizens of Bandera:
… Following the City Council’s 3-2 vote to terminate our fully funded state grant for public safety cameras, I published a piece utilizing a classic literary device known as a ‘Modest Proposal.’ It was a satirical mirror meant to highlight a glaring contradiction: the idea that we can demand absolute privacy on public roads while carrying GPS trackers in our pockets and pointing security cameras at our neighbors' sidewalks.
Predictably, the vocal minority and several national media outlets completely missed the satire. Instead, it triggered a wave of unhinged, anonymous cyber-bullying, vulgar insults, and outright fabrications sent to my inbox. Local political cartoonists have even labeled my stance as ‘political suicide.’ This may be true for politicians that soley vote to get re-elected, but my core beliefs and how I vote on municipal issues are based on the long-term well-being of this community, not on whether I think I will get re-elected. I did not run for City Council to protect a title; I ran to protect Bandera.
Let’s map out the cold, hard facts:
- Regarding the ‘Bribe’ Conspiracies: I have never received a single dollar, kickback, or incentive from Flock Safety or any other technology vendor. To those hiding behind anonymous Proton Mail accounts sending me vulgar threats: your conspiracies are a fiction born out of an inability to debate real policy.
- The Fiscal Reality: The opposition campaigned on ‘fiscal responsibility.’ Here is the truth: the Flock system was 100% funded by a state grant. By canceling the contract, this council didn’t save you money, they threw away free state funds and spent 15,000 of your local property tax dollars out-of-pocket just to break the lease. That is a terrible business deal for Bandera.
- The Public Safety and Constitutional Reality: This isn’t a theoretical debate, and it is entirely constitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court has long established that there is no expectation of privacy for a vehicle traveling on a public road, a precedent federal and state courts repeatedly use to uphold fixed-location plate readers. Just days ago in Travis County, active shooters in a stolen vehicle terrorized neighborhoods. Liberal-led Austin couldn't track them because their council previously caved to the exact same ‘surveillance’ rhetoric we are hearing in Bandera. The criminals were only caught because they crossed into Manor, Texas, a community that uses this exact technology to protect its borders.
I fully support the law-and-order vision championed by President Trump and Governor Abbott—a vision built on robust policies designed to secure our communities and stop the fallout from failed liberal agendas. Governor Abbott and the Texas Department of Public Safety have fully embraced this technology, backing it with a $26 million state contract to clean up our highways. Just this week, Governor Abbott explicitly addressed this technology, telling local officials to stop being easy on criminals and start deploying whatever tools they can access to quickly solve crimes.
Turning our backs on state funding to keep our Town Marshal blind doesn't protect the Constitution; it protects out-of-town criminals, human traffickers, and abductors who use stolen vehicles to target our communities. As we enter Memorial Day weekend and honor the brave men and women who sacrificed everything for our freedom, let’s remember that true security requires active vigilance. It’s time for Bandera to look at the real numbers, look at the real threats, and decide if we actually stand for the law-and-order principles we vote for, or if we just like the slogan.”