New Hanover County terminates Flock camera contract
By ยท Updated 1 Oct 2026
9 September 2026. [AI first draft. Verify every fact against the source before publishing.]
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously 4-0 on Tuesday to terminate the county's contract with Flock Safety, an automated license plate reader system operator. The decision followed nearly two hours of public comment opposing the technology at an August 17 meeting, according to reporting from Carolina Journal and WBT Charlotte. The contract covered up to 20 cameras and cost $219,000.
The Sheriff's Office confirmed the termination and stated it had disabled national sharing of camera data, removed employee system access, and halted new searches through its Flock system during the cancellation process. County data showed the system generated 2.98 million searches between January 2025 and June 2026. The vote occurred the same day the Wrightsville Beach Police Department, which operates within New Hanover County, fired an employee after an internal audit found misuse of Flock. Board Chair LeAnn Pierce and Commissioner Dane Scalise, who made the termination motion, cited insufficient privacy protections, lack of oversight, and unanswered questions about the technology's safeguards rather than opposition to law enforcement itself.
County Manager Chris Coudriet warned during the meeting that other law enforcement agencies maintain ALPR systems within the county's borders, including state highway patrol installations on state-owned rights of way, meaning camera surveillance will continue despite the county contract cancellation [verify: scope of remaining state systems]. The cancellation follows similar actions by Greenville Police Department and the town of Catawba elsewhere in North Carolina.
Residents interested in tracking ALPR activity in their area should monitor local law enforcement agency social media announcements, request records on camera searches and data access logs, and check county meeting agendas for contract renewal votes.
Read the original reporting: Carolina Journal.