How to Get Flock Out of Your Town
Other communities have removed these cameras. Here’s the playbook — the same steps that worked elsewhere, adapted for New Hanover County.
It can feel hopeless when the cameras are already up. It isn’t. Here’s how residents actually win this, step by step.
1. Learn the system
Spot the cameras, understand that they capture far more than your plate, and map the ones near you.
2. Get the records
File public-records requests for the contract, the policies, and the audit logs — exactly what we did to surface nearly three million searches. Sunlight is the strongest tool you have.
3. Share what you find
Turn the records into plain-English stories your neighbors will actually read and pass along. Most people simply don’t know — informing them is half the battle.
4. Build a coalition
This issue crosses every line — left, right, veterans, parents, faith communities, civil-liberties groups. Invite them all. The broader the coalition, the harder it is to ignore.
5. Sign and circulate the petition
Numbers are leverage. Sign it, then get ten friends to.
6. Pressure the people who hold AND fund the contract
This is the key insight for New Hanover County: the contract is operated by the Sheriff’s Office and funded through the county. So pressure both — Sheriff Ed McMahon, who holds and runs it, and the County Commissioners, who pay for it and can decline to renew. Show up and speak at the commission (Aug 17 & Sep 21), and contact the Sheriff’s Office directly.
7. Fight the statewide expansion
Even a local win can be undone in Raleigh. Oppose House Bill 206 and the SBI’s push to cover every road into the state.
Surveillance was installed quietly. It comes down loudly — when enough neighbors refuse it.
You’re not a suspect. So stop being tracked like one.
It takes one minute. Add your name, then tell your county commissioners to cancel the Flock contract.