The Texas Department of Transportation has stopped issuing permits for new Flock cameras and other automated license-plate readers along state-owned roads, following a directive from Gov. Greg Abbott. TxDOT confirmed the suspension Thursday, saying it also applies to agreements that have been approved but whose cameras have not yet been installed. The agency said the pause does not remove cameras already operating in state rights-of-way, including more than 900 license-plate readers operated by the Texas Department of Public Safety. “TxDOT’s role is to review permits to ensure license plate readers are installed correctly and safely along state-owned roadways,” an agency spokesperson said. “This suspension also includes agreements that are approved but not yet installed.” The department said it approves permits but does not install the devices and does not have access to data collected by Flock cameras on state roads. A presentation by the police chief in Schertz, northeast of San Antonio, indicated the pause began Sept. 8, although TxDOT did not immediately confirm that date. The decision follows Abbott’s late-August order blocking state funding for Flock cameras. That order came as an investigation examined how a small state agency directed at least $30 million toward more than 3,200 Flock cameras across Texas. Flock cameras photograph passing vehicles and record license plate numbers and other identifying information, creating a searchable database that can be used to trace where vehicles have traveled. Supporters in law enforcement say the systems help solve crimes, recover stolen vehicles and locate missing people. Privacy advocates and residents have raised concerns about the scale of the databases, how long information is retained and whether the technology can be misused. Those concerns intensified after police officers in several jurisdictions were arrested or investigated for allegedly using Flock systems to stalk people. An estimated 13,000 Flock cameras were operating across Texas in August. Hundreds have been shut down since Abbott’s funding freeze, while city councils and county commissions around the state have moved to unplug or restrict their own systems after pressure from residents. The Texas pause does not prevent local governments from operating cameras they have already installed or from making their own decisions about surveillance technology. It does, however, slow further expansion of license-plate tracking along state roads while officials and communities debate whether the public-safety benefits justify the privacy risks and the use of public money.