After New Hanover County cancels Flock contract, will other communities follow?

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY-TV) — After New Hanover County canceled its contract with Flock Safety cameras, the question now is whether other communities will follow.

The controversial license plate readers sparked heated debate Tuesday night at two municipal meetings, including one in Brunswick County where a county commissioner and the sheriff clashed over privacy, constitutional rights and the cameras’ role in fighting crime.

At the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners meeting, Commissioner Pat Sykes challenged Sheriff Brian Chism over whether Flock’s license plate readers violate the Fourth Amendment.

“So, I’m gonna read the Fourth Amendment to you. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures,” Sykes said.

Sykes and Chism went back and forth over whether the cameras threaten public privacy while serving as a law enforcement tool.

“I’m not really understanding how it can be a violation of the Fourth Amendment right if I can walk down the sidewalk and videotape people, but yet you can’t take a picture in that time on a public road,” Chism said.

Sykes argued there should be greater accountability for how the system is used.

“There should be a record of every use,” Sykes said.

Chism responded, “We are not going to argue about the Fourth Amendment.”

“As of right now, there is no court that has deemed it a violation,” he said.

Brunswick County began its contract with Flock in January 2024 and renewed it in January 2026.

Chism said the county owns 16 Flock cameras and that deputies use the system as an investigative tool.

But concerns about potential misuse of the technology grew after a Brunswick County employee resigned last week for misusing the system.

Sykes questioned whether the incident was isolated.

“We have had policemen that are being fired continually, why put it in front of them?” Sykes said.

“We had one.” Chism responded.

“You had more than one. I am not even going to go there,” Sykes said.

In a statement to WWAY, a Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said the agency is aware of only one instance of misuse.

“We have not identified any other BCSO employee who has misused the Flock system. The matter we previously addressed is the only instance of misuse we are aware of at this time,” the spokesperson said.

Misuse of the technology was also a major topic Tuesday night at a Carolina Beach Town Council meeting, where dozens of protesters urged the council to remove its Flock cameras.

One attendee pointed to recent incidents involving local law enforcement.

“A Brunswick County deputy resigned last week and a Wrightsville Beach officer for misusing that town’s Flock cameras,” the attendee said.

Other residents defended the technology, arguing the cameras are necessary tools for law enforcement and can help keep crime rates down.

“Look around, today’s technology is a double-edged sword. There will always be people who misuse access to information, but we cannot afford to throw the baby out with the bathwater,” one attendee said.

Despite the debate, neither Carolina Beach nor Brunswick County has taken formal action regarding its contract with Flock Safety.