WECT INVESTIGATES INSIDER: How the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office is using Flock cameras

Our Take

Credit where it's due: WECT Investigative Reporter Connor Smith sat down with Jon Evans to dig into how the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office is actually using its Flock cameras, and that kind of local accountability journalism is rare and valuable. Most communities have no idea these networks exist, let alone how often law enforcement queries them, who else gets access, or what policies (if any) govern retention and sharing. A sheriff's office explaining itself on camera is a small but real win for transparency.

We don't have the full transcript here, and we're not going to pretend we do, but the pattern across the country is familiar: a county adopts Flock for a narrow stated purpose like stolen vehicles or Amber Alerts, and the system quietly becomes a general-purpose tracking tool queried thousands of times a year, often with minimal oversight and sometimes shared well beyond the county line. If WECT's reporting sheds light on usage numbers, audit logs, or interagency data-sharing agreements in New Hanover County, that's the exact kind of detail residents need to hold their sheriff accountable.

If you're in North Carolina or anywhere else, check our camera map to see what's already watching your routes, and visit take action for ways to push your local government toward real transparency instead of just a press-friendly interview.