Flock Cameras in Columbus County, NC
Plate readers on the county’s state-maintained roads logged 6.8 million plates in about seven months — and Columbus keeps its data the full 90 days, while its neighbors cut to 30. The county produced its contract only in part. The audit that would name who searched is still missing.
Residents of Columbus County among the signers of the petition at change.org/DeFlockILM, as of Oct. 4, 2026.
The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, under Sheriff Bill Rogers, runs a Flock automated license plate reader network on the county’s state-maintained roads as part of the SBI’s statewide pilot. The SBI’s April 2026 report to the legislature put the office at six cameras that captured about 6.8 million plates in roughly seven months. Speaking to WECT on August 26, 2026, Sheriff Rogers said the office now runs five (one was stolen from Tabor City) and keeps its data the full 90 days the statute allows — notably not cut to 30 or 7 days like several of its neighbors.
Columbus County Board of Commissioners — next meeting: Monday, September 21, 2026
6:30 p.m. · Columbus County Administration, 127 W. Webster St, Whiteville, NC 28472. The Board meets the 1st and 3rd Mondays at 6:30 p.m. After September 21, the next dates are Monday, October 5 and Monday, October 19. Every regular meeting includes a public-comment period.
The ask is simple: tell your commissioners, on the record, to require a public review and recorded vote on any Flock/ALPR contract, cut retention from the 90-day maximum, and release the Network Audit that would show who has searched Columbus residents’ plate data.
Arrive about 15 minutes early to sign up for public comment, state your name and address at the podium, and keep it to one clear ask. Bring a neighbor — numbers in the room move a board.
Email the Board → Sign the statewide petition →
Chair Brent Watts · Vice-Chair Scott Floyd · Barbara Featherson · Chris Smith · Giles “Buddy” Byrd · Lavern Coleman · Ricky Bullard (cc: Clerk Jana Nealey). Meeting dates verified from the County’s official commissioners page — if a Monday is a holiday, the meeting moves to the next business day. Always confirm the posted agenda before you go.
Columbus County by the numbers
The cameras, on the map
Live map of ALPR cameras across Columbus County, from the crowdsourced DeFlock map.
What the record shows
The county produced — in part. After a third notice and a mediation offer, County Attorney Amanda Prince produced on September 4, 2026: the Flock contract (six cameras, 2023, with a 30-day retention term), ALPR Policy 609, an NCDOT–SBI MOU, a six-site camera-location list, and an invoice ($3,750 per term). Still outstanding: the Network Audit that names the outside agencies that searched Columbus’s cameras (only an Organization Audit screenshot came), and the records in native CSV.
A retention gap worth watching. The produced contract references a 30-day term, but Sheriff Rogers told WECT the office keeps data 90 days. Which figure governs in practice is exactly the kind of question the audit logs would settle — and they are the records still missing.
Whiteville is separate — and it produced in full. The City of Whiteville runs its own nine Flock cameras (one mobile) under a municipal contract distinct from the Sheriff’s. In response to our July request, Whiteville released its contract, policy, invoices, MOUs, and — notably — Network Audits naming the outside agencies that searched its cameras, most of it mirrored at the Internet Archive. Credit where it is due.
The full record
- Whiteville’s full production — mirrored at the Internet Archive.
- Brunswick, Pender, and Onslow — the neighboring county networks.
- The records hub — where every Cape Fear agency stands.
What you can do
Only the Columbus County Board of Commissioners and the Sheriff can end this program. Ask them, on the record, to produce the Network Audit and to let the contract lapse.
Sign the petition Email the Board & Sheriff Email your leaders
You’re not a suspect. So stop being tracked like one.
It takes one minute. Add your name — then tell the officials who represent you to take the cameras down.