Columbus County law enforcement addresses Flock camera concerns

Our Take

WECT News 6 covers a familiar pattern: residents in Columbus County started asking hard questions about Flock Safety cameras — why they're there, who can access the data, how long it's kept — and local law enforcement responded with a public reassurance tour. Credit to WECT for giving airtime to the residents who pushed back in the first place, since these systems rarely get scrutinized until someone outside the department starts asking.

The problem is structural, not personal. When the agency running the cameras is also the one explaining why the cameras are fine, that's not accountability, it's messaging. Flock's network logs every plate that passes, builds a searchable travel history on anyone, and shares data across jurisdictions through a system with little outside auditing. 'Trust us' isn't a policy, and it isn't a substitute for public records, retention limits, and real consequences for misuse.

If you're in Columbus County or anywhere else wondering whether you're being tracked, check our camera map to see what's already been documented nearby, and visit take action for concrete steps to push your local officials for real transparency instead of a Q&A session.