Flock cameras allegedly owned by Pender County Sheriff on private land

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Several Flock Safety cameras in Pender County are raising privacy concerns, including questions about cameras reportedly operated by the Pender County Sheriff’s Office that are located on private property.

Kenneth Ramsey, a Pender County resident and former law enforcement officer of 34 years, said he understands how automated license plate reader cameras can help law enforcement fight crime but has concerns about their broader use.

“I can see at times they may be useful,” Ramsey said.

However, Ramsey said he believes the potential surveillance concerns can outweigh those benefits.

“But to me it doesn’t outweigh that they are essentially watching or some people will say spying on people who have not committed any crime or suspected of anything,” Ramsey said.

According to a map maintained by the nationwide DeFlock organization, several cameras are located in Pender County, including one along N.C. 210 near Rocky Point.

Mark Williams, an attorney and founder of DeFlock ILM, has also raised concerns about how the cameras are being used and where they are located.

“These cameras are warrantless, and they treat everybody as a suspect. We’re not talking about what private people choose to do, we’re talking about our own government spying on us,” Williams said.

Williams said a public records request he filed revealed several agreements between the Pender County Sheriff’s Office and private landowners to host cameras on their properties.

“By moving the cameras just a few more feet off the roadway onto a private landowner’s property, you avoid all of those regulatory requirements, and it appears that’s what Pender did,” Williams said.

Williams also said one mobile camera unit is capable of checking the speed of passing vehicles.

According to Williams, officers using the Flock system must select a reason for searching a license plate. He said records he obtained show traffic infractions were frequently listed as the reason for searches.

“They pulled out a drop down box and indicate why they are searching. It’s called the reason code. This traffic infraction reason code was selected that many times,” Williams said.

WWAY reached out to the Pender County Sheriff’s Office for a response to the claims but has not heard back.