Concerns about Flock safety cameras could lead to change in South Carolina | WSOC-TV

Our Take

Credit to WSOCTV9 for getting lawmakers on record. When elected officials start telling local news they expect "several bills" targeting Flock Safety, that's a signal the discomfort with these camera networks isn't just coming from privacy advocates anymore — it's reaching the people who actually write the laws. South Carolina wouldn't be the first state to see this kind of pushback, but every new legislative fight matters because it forces a public conversation that Flock and its police partners would rather skip.

The pattern is familiar by now: a city or county quietly signs up for a batch of ALPR cameras, nobody asks residents what they think, and it isn't until someone notices the hardware on a utility pole — or reads about a misuse scandal somewhere else — that questions start getting asked. By then the data-sharing agreements are already in place and departments are already leaning on the technology daily. Regulation after the fact is better than nothing, but it's a much harder fight than saying no up front.

If you're in South Carolina or anywhere else, this is the moment to pay attention to what your own city council or state legislature is doing before it's a done deal. Check our map to see what's already been installed near you, and use our take-action guide to figure out how to get in front of your own lawmakers before the next bill — or the next camera contract — gets decided without you.