Asheville votes to terminate Flock camera contract

26 August 2026.

Asheville City Council voted 5-2 on August 26, 2026, to authorize the city manager to terminate the city's contract with Flock Safety, which operates AI-powered license plate reader cameras. The city currently operates 11 Flock cameras that will be removed following the vote. The approved resolution directs city employees to suspend all access, searching, and sharing of data collected through Flock technology while ensuring existing data is handled according to legal and retention requirements. A comprehensive review will be conducted, and policy recommendations regarding future use, oversight, and privacy safeguards for surveillance technology will be developed.

Mayor Esther Manheimer had proposed ending the contract approximately one week before the vote, noting that the city's contract terms do not allow removal of the technology without full termination. Residents who spoke during the council meeting expressed concerns about privacy and surveillance. The decision comes amid broader national scrutiny of license plate reader technology, including recent incidents in which law enforcement officers in South Carolina and North Carolina were fired or charged for misusing Flock cameras.

The city's decision does not eliminate all license plate reader capability in Asheville. The city maintains an existing contract with Axon, which provides police body and dash cameras and also includes stationary license plate readers. Readers can check whether their own municipalities have similar camera contracts and what policies govern access to collected data.

Read the original reporting: WLOS.