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June 25, 2026
Continued contention creates conflict for Bandera City Council
Councilman releases public statement
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
Controversy, contention and conflict continue to plague Bandera City Council members regarding the cancelled contract with Flock Safety and the use of license plate readers within the city limits.
After a second camera was installed in April (the first installed in February was sawed down two days later) and consequently removed following Bandera City Council’s 3-2 decision during their May 12 meeting, Council Member Jeff Flowers, who opposed the camera’s removal, released a public statement. (Please see: https://www.banderaprophet.com/260525-bandera-city-council-cancels-license-plate-readers-council-member-issues-public-statement.html).
During the same May meeting, Council Member Debbie Breen questioned why an invoice payment was issued in March to Flock Safety, in accordance with their contract, while the matter was being debated. This month, Council Members Tammy Ott Morrow and DeAnna McCabe placed discussion and possible action on the June 23 meeting agenda regarding sanctioning City of Bandera elected officials, in response to recent published reports that include internal emails from city officials on the matter, allegedly procured through an Open Records Request.
McCabe said Mayor Denise Griffin should have released a statement that the emails and Flowers’ public statements were not the opinion of the council or city as a whole.
“There was a lot of push back on the entire city and that reflected on all of us,” McCabe said.
Cautioning McCabe on the city’s sanctioning protocol, Attorney Matthew Grove said depending on what is being alleged, an investigation and other procedures would need to take place.
“I wouldn’t recommend sanctioning unless you’ve gone through that process,” Grove said.
Council did not take action.
The next day, Flowers issued a public statement.
Please see it in full:
“I chose to remain silent during last night's meeting because our city council chambers are meant for municipal business, not for placing items on the agenda solely for political posturing to target and attack individuals without true merit.
It is deeply hypocritical that certain council members are attempting to weaponize sanctions as a tool to silence differing perspectives. The narrative they are pushing is clear: it is acceptable for select officials to express their opinions, but if anyone’s perspective does not align with theirs, they want to inflict punishment.
My recent letters to the editor were written after the council's vote to terminate the grant funded Flock was finalized, sharing my personal perspective as both a resident and a council member, not speaking on behalf of the council body.
I used satire to call out an obvious double standard: critics raise massive concerns about privacy over a state-funded law enforcement camera, yet completely ignore the smart phones, smart watches, and everyday apps that track our data every single second. Yet opponents' arguments shift away from that.
For example: Claims that crime is non-existent locally or only a very small percentage of crime actually happens. Convictions and cases solved are not a reflection of all the crime that takes place.
Texas alone faces roughly 30,000 robberies and 97,000 vehicle thefts annually, alongside 28,229 missing children reports documented by the Texas DPS in 2025. The reality is that the vast majority of crimes go completely unsolved, leaving families without justice.
In my opinion, any crime is too much crime, and my focus is to ensure our law enforcement has the tools necessary to generate leads and protect local families from transient offenders.
My faith in Christ teaches me to love my neighbors and that there is no greater love than sacrificing your own life for another.
If placing LPR technology in our town saves just one single life, I will happily give up my expectation of privacy in a public space. Especially on a public road where no real expectation of privacy exists in the first place.
I am not going to let political theater distract me from the job the residents elected me to do: managing our local resources responsibly and prioritizing the actual safety of our community. In this I will not waiver.”
Jeff Flowers
After a second camera was installed in April (the first installed in February was sawed down two days later) and consequently removed following Bandera City Council’s 3-2 decision during their May 12 meeting, Council Member Jeff Flowers, who opposed the camera’s removal, released a public statement. (Please see: https://www.banderaprophet.com/260525-bandera-city-council-cancels-license-plate-readers-council-member-issues-public-statement.html).
During the same May meeting, Council Member Debbie Breen questioned why an invoice payment was issued in March to Flock Safety, in accordance with their contract, while the matter was being debated. This month, Council Members Tammy Ott Morrow and DeAnna McCabe placed discussion and possible action on the June 23 meeting agenda regarding sanctioning City of Bandera elected officials, in response to recent published reports that include internal emails from city officials on the matter, allegedly procured through an Open Records Request.
McCabe said Mayor Denise Griffin should have released a statement that the emails and Flowers’ public statements were not the opinion of the council or city as a whole.
“There was a lot of push back on the entire city and that reflected on all of us,” McCabe said.
Cautioning McCabe on the city’s sanctioning protocol, Attorney Matthew Grove said depending on what is being alleged, an investigation and other procedures would need to take place.
“I wouldn’t recommend sanctioning unless you’ve gone through that process,” Grove said.
Council did not take action.
The next day, Flowers issued a public statement.
Please see it in full:
“I chose to remain silent during last night's meeting because our city council chambers are meant for municipal business, not for placing items on the agenda solely for political posturing to target and attack individuals without true merit.
It is deeply hypocritical that certain council members are attempting to weaponize sanctions as a tool to silence differing perspectives. The narrative they are pushing is clear: it is acceptable for select officials to express their opinions, but if anyone’s perspective does not align with theirs, they want to inflict punishment.
My recent letters to the editor were written after the council's vote to terminate the grant funded Flock was finalized, sharing my personal perspective as both a resident and a council member, not speaking on behalf of the council body.
I used satire to call out an obvious double standard: critics raise massive concerns about privacy over a state-funded law enforcement camera, yet completely ignore the smart phones, smart watches, and everyday apps that track our data every single second. Yet opponents' arguments shift away from that.
For example: Claims that crime is non-existent locally or only a very small percentage of crime actually happens. Convictions and cases solved are not a reflection of all the crime that takes place.
Texas alone faces roughly 30,000 robberies and 97,000 vehicle thefts annually, alongside 28,229 missing children reports documented by the Texas DPS in 2025. The reality is that the vast majority of crimes go completely unsolved, leaving families without justice.
In my opinion, any crime is too much crime, and my focus is to ensure our law enforcement has the tools necessary to generate leads and protect local families from transient offenders.
My faith in Christ teaches me to love my neighbors and that there is no greater love than sacrificing your own life for another.
If placing LPR technology in our town saves just one single life, I will happily give up my expectation of privacy in a public space. Especially on a public road where no real expectation of privacy exists in the first place.
I am not going to let political theater distract me from the job the residents elected me to do: managing our local resources responsibly and prioritizing the actual safety of our community. In this I will not waiver.”
Jeff Flowers