The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners has voted to cancel its contract with Flock Safety following an outcry of resident concerns.
At a special meeting on Sept. 8, commissioners voted unanimously to cancel its controversial automated license plate reader program weeks after 41 residents spoke against the cameras. The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office has a $219,000 contract with Flock, which has been searched nearly3 million times since January 2025.
Commissioner Rob Zapple proposed pausing the program, but Vice Chair Dane Scalise motioned to cancel the contract outright.
Zapple said that he was "very impressed at how far and how quickly they could reach into anyone's life" using the cameras. He noted that Flock has been changing its
own policies on data retention in response to backlash.
Scalise referenced misuse of the system, including a case against a former Brunswick County Sheriff's Office employee that resigned amid an investigation into their use of Flock data.
County Manager Chris Coudriet said that he would work the cancelation out directly with Sheriff Ed McMahon.
"We all know how important AI is and how fast that technology moves," Board Chair LeAnn Pierce said. "The government has to move as fast. Those safeguards are just not in place to protect the privacy of our citizens at this time."
Commissioner Stephanie Walker said that widespread cancelations, cases of misuse and the public opposition across the political spectrum prompted her to support ending the contract. She noted that ending the county's contract would not impact the state funded cameras in the area.
Commissioner Bill Rivenbark attended the meeting remotely and did not vote on the issue.
Daniel Sheehan covers New Hanover County for the StarNews. Reach him at dsheehan@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover cancels Flock contract following concerns
