A former Katy police officer is due in Fort Bend County court next month after allegedly stalking his ex-wife using Flock license plate readers for a period of more than six months beginning nearly two years ago.
Sergio Rodriguez is charged with two third-degree felonies — one for allegedly stalking and another for allegedly misusing official information — according to Fort Bend County court records. He could face up to 10 years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.
Between November 2024 and April 2025, Rodriguez allegedly tracked his ex-wife's location using Flock cameras and placed a tracking device on her vehicle, according to court records obtained by Houston Public Media. He was arrested by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office in early May and was released on a $30,000 bond by the end of the month under the condition he would have no contact with his ex-wife.
Rodriguez has since pleaded not guilty. An attorney representing him was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday.
In a statement to Houston Public Media, a spokesperson from the Katy Police Department said Rodriguez’s ex-wife first filed a formal complaint against him in October, alleging he was tracking her whereabouts. Following the complaint, Rodriguez was immediately suspended, and he was fired from the department and criminally charged after an investigation with the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office.
RELATED: Some Houston-area residents have growing concerns with the expansion of Flock cameras
Privacy concerns about surveillance systems like Flock cameras have created growing public mistrust with the company and the technology itself. According to Flock Safety, more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies use its technology. More broadly, there are more than 130,000 AI-powered automated license plate readers on American streets, according to DeFlock, an advocacy group that tracks the cameras.
Officials with the Katy Police Department said they've used the Flock system for the last five years and have been able to solve hundreds of crimes each year because of it, touting it as "one of the best crime-fighting tools developed in our modern policing."
The police department said they've established operational safeguards when it comes to using automated license plate readers, including an analytical system that creates what they called a "permanent and unalterable" digital audit trail of who conducts searches. Flock Safety, the department said, has a self-review system that monitors abnormal search behaviors and triggers immediate lockouts and reporting.
Flock Safety did not respond to Houston Public Media’s request for comment.
Copyright 2026 Houston Public Media News 88.7