City of College Station Update on WTAW

At Thursday night’s meeting, the College Station City Council voted 4-2 to renew the contract with Flock Safety. It was a six person vote, as Mayor John Nichols was absent due to injury. During a presentation to the Council, College Station Police Chief Billy Couch notated that the spike seen in law enforcement misuse is a result of an internal audit system launched by Flock in April of this year. CSPD Detective Stephen Schoellman cited that as a reason to embrace the technology, not condemn it. Councilman Bob Yancy referred to the company as “toxic.” He says, “The problem is not the technology. The problem is the vendor’s open architecture, their initial lack of concern for privacy in its initial design, and the company itself.” Yancy adds, “They’re probably not going to survive the legal expenses alone with the lawsuits that they have. They’re undergoing layoffs, according to The Wall Street Journal. They’ve got targeted legislation that uniquely goes after their software architecture. They’re hemorrhaging clients all over the country, and they’re, according to Seeking Alpha, a very respected Wall Street periodical, they’re shopping themselves for a buyer as their venture capital firms are bailing and want their money back.” Councilman Mark Smith also voted against renewing the contract. Smith said, “Flock Safety is a valuable tool for the police department, but the lack of public trust is a serious concern. And based on the information that I am hearing today, I’m going to vote against keeping the Flock camera. I also want to do that while we work towards clear, enforceable guardrails.” Smith adds, “We can not have it while we solve these problems.” “If we can prevent one more aggravated assault of a child or find another missing child from another jurisdiction, that it’s worth seeing what happens over the next year,” said Councilwoman Melissa McIlhaney. “Let the courts work out the privacy issue and determine what we need to do. I’m firmly in support of any guardrails, but I don’t think we need to shut the interstate down while we get those guardrails in place.” “I don’t like looking at all of you guys, knowing that I’m disappointing you and the perspective that you’re bringing. But for right now, I believe the technology is important. I believe that it is making a difference, at least in that one little kid’s life, and it’s worth us riding it out.” Mayor Pro Tem William Wright said, “I feel like there are other technologies that we use daily that I feel personally are more invasive than an ALPR. Cellular phone pings, I think, are more invasive. And yet, if I’m hiking in Idaho and I fall over, I would love for someone to know where I fell over on a trail so they can come get me.” “Flock is not perfect,” says Councilman David White. “There’s another company, Axon. They’re part of our law enforcement tools that we use, but that’s not really an option at this time.” Councilman Scott Shafer said, “I would like to see us figure out how to use the technology in a way that has much more strict guardrails on it and is more acceptable in terms of how people feel about their privacy.” View the Flock/CSPD transparency portal here: https://transparency.flocksafety.com/college-station-tx-pd Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or reach out on Facebook or Twitter/X.

It was a long night. A lot of business got taken care of. The final approvals were granted to move forward with the sale of land to Bass Pro Shops, which included offering them an economic development agreement. We learned about all the amazing stuff that’s about to happen in conjunction with Texas A&M University’s 150th Anniversary. We’ll have stories about all that, or you can learn more now at 150.tamu.edu. The hot topic of the night was Flock cameras. Council voted to approve a contract renewal for one year. It wasn’t unanimous. Bob Yancy and Mark Smith voted no. The sentiment seemed to be that Flock isn’t perfect, but we don’t have an alternative right now. And when they work, they work great! There were more than 20 speakers signed up to speak. And to summarize it bluntly, if you drew a line down the middle of the room…placing half of the room with over 40’s and the other half of the room under 40’s, it’s generally the same line that separated the pro-Flock crowd versus the de-Flock crowd. Here’s the evening’s breakdown: Consent Agenda — APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY Resolution regarding the City’s investment policy, reviewing and recording changes to the policy and strategy, and on a collateral policy, and designating investment officers for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027, stating that the City Council has reviewed and approved the City’s investment policy, broker-dealer list and investment strategy. Resolution authorizing expenditure to the Aggieland Humane Society, Inc. totaling $419,054. Funding agreement with the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley DBA Arts Center of Brazos Valley for FY27 in the amount of $35,000. Funding agreement with the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley DBA Arts Center of Brazos Valley for FY27 in the amount of $600,908. Funding agreement with the Brazos Transit District for FY27 in the amount of $400,800. Funding agreement with the Greater Brazos Partnership for FY27 in the amount of $350,000. Construction contract with Site Utilities and Construction, LLC in the amount of $136,000 for multiple drainage repairs to pipe infrastructure located at Finfeather Road, 1501 Wolf Run, Southern Plantation Drive, and Hunter Creek Drive. Contract award for Emergency Generator Removal & Replacement to C.F. McDonald Electric, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $190,469. Three-year contract with Great South Texas Corp dba Computer Solutions for cloud migration of the City’s phone system to Cisco’s Webex system, not to exceed $599,499.69. Construction contract amendment with Skanska Construction adding to the contract grant funding requirements for two Texas Parks and Wildlife grants awarded to the City for the Texas Independence Park Project. Contract award for the construction of the new Northwest Substation to GridTech, LLC for an amount not to exceed $10,745,275.41. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to file, execute, and direct all actions related to an application with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to amend Water Use Permit No. 5913. Resolution repealing and replacing resolution No. 7-10-25-7.8 which accepted $500,000 in CDBG-MIT funding from the Texas General Land Office to authorize the City Manager to execute post-award grant and program documents and act on the City’s behalf with respect to any issues arising with the program. Workshop Agenda: Presentation on TAMU 150. Presentation from representatives of the Texas A&M University (TAMU) Student Government Association (SGA). Presentation from the Historic Preservation Committee. Regular Agenda: Budget Amendment Number 3 amending Ordinance No. 2025-4612, which amends the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year budget the in the amount of $12,714,696. — PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Amendment to the real estate contract with The Corinth Group, Inc., dated January 10, 2025, to modify the purchase area to approximately 14.47 acres in the Midtown Business Park at the price of $8.00 per square foot for an approximate total purchase price of $5,042,505.60. — PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Chapter 380 Economic Development Agreement with The Corinth Group, Inc. relating to economic development incentives on approximately 14.47 acres in the Midtown Business Park. — PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Approval of a real estate contract with Bass Pro Outdoor World, LLC for the sale of approximately 13.895 acres in the Midtown Business Park for the price of $417,740.00 per acre for an approximate total purchase price of $5,804,497.30, and presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding a Chapter 380 Economic Development Agreement with Bass Pro Outdoor World, LLC relating to economic development incentives on approximately 13.895 acres in the Midtown Business Park. — PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding an appointment to the Brazos Valley Solid Waste Management Agency, Inc. Board of Directors. — PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Presentation, discussion, and possible action on a hardware and software agreement with Flock Group, Inc. not to exceed $158,000 for cameras on Texas Department of Transportation roads; and presentation, discussion, and possible action on a hardware and software agreement with Flock Group, Inc. not to exceed $141,061.80 for cameras on Non-Texas Department of Transportation roads. — PASSED BY A VOTE OF 4-2 (Yancy and Smith voted NAY)  

A Bryan teenager was arrested Tuesday after a dispute over his final paycheck. College Station Police say 17-year-old Shawn Alijah Woods went to the Five Guys at 711 University Drive East just after 5:00pm on Tuesday demanding his final paycheck. The manager told Woods that he would need to return his uniform before the check would be released. Woods then went on a rampage, knocking over a tea machine, tossing condiment dispensers, and overturning tables. Woods was arrested for Criminal Mischief (damage between $750-$2,500) and Criminal Trespass. He was released on $8,000 bond. Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or reach out on Facebook or Twitter/X.