Flock in New Hanover County, by the Numbers
Every number we cite, in one place, each with its source — so you can quote it with confidence. This is our canonical reference; when a figure appears elsewhere on the site, it traces back to here.
Surveillance debates drown in numbers. Here are the ones that matter for New Hanover County and North Carolina, stated plainly and sourced. Where a range exists, we say why.
New Hanover County
~$219,000
The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Flock contract (#25-0364), over its 24-month term — $119,000 in year one, then $100,000 a year. (Source.)
2,980,082
Searches of the county’s Flock network in about 16 months (Jan 23, 2025–Jun 5, 2026) — with every searching agency and officer redacted. (Source.)
28 / ~51–62 / 15
Cameras, by scope: 28 devices the county bought (17 Falcon + 3 Falcon LR + 8 Condor); ~51–62 mapped in the Wilmington area (all agencies + private); 15 in the obsolete 2021 pilot. (Source.)
1,842
Signatures on the petition to remove Flock — about 55% (~1,021) from New Hanover County, verified by signer zip code; ~87% from across North Carolina. (Sign it.)
30 vs. 90 days
Retention on the county’s data: Flock’s contractual default is about 30 days; North Carolina’s statutory maximum is 90 days (§ 20-183.32). Two different limits — don’t confuse them.
$43,750
The county’s original 2021 Flock pilot (15 cameras) — the outdated figure stale articles still cite. Today’s program is about five times larger. (Source.)
Where the signers live — residency analysis as of July 14, 2026
By signer zip code, from a 1,842-signature snapshot taken July 14, 2026. The people asking the county to act are the people the county answers to: 1,021 New Hanover residents, and 1,314 (71%) across the three Cape Fear counties these cameras cover.
Residency analysis last run July 14, 2026, on the 1,842 signatures on file that day (36 left the zip field blank). Counties assigned by signer-provided zip code. We refresh this breakdown periodically, so it can differ slightly from the live signature counter above; the local share has held steady as the total grows.
Across North Carolina & the country
Wider context — not New Hanover County figures. We’re gathering far more statewide data through public-records requests, and will add it here as it comes in.
~2,819
ALPR cameras mapped across North Carolina (about 85% Flock), per the crowdsourced DeFlock map — a documented minimum, not a certified total. (Source.)
1,390,776
Searches of NC A&T’s 16-camera campus network in Greensboro over three months (Mar–May 2026) by 3,487 agencies — mostly out of state. (Source.)
53+
U.S. cities that have moved to cancel or suspend Flock contracts over unauthorized federal or data-sharing access, as of late June 2026. (Source.)
The numbers that get quoted — and misquoted
Figures from the national record that appear across our pages. Stated once here, with sources, so they stay consistent everywhere else.
176
Flock cameras in Norfolk, Virginia as of the January 2026 ruling in Schmidt v. Norfolk (172 at the 2024 filing) — the Fourth Amendment case now on appeal in the Fourth Circuit, which covers North Carolina. (Source.)
164 / 228
Times a Sedgwick, Kansas police chief used Flock to search for his ex-girlfriend over four months in 2023 — 164 for her, 228 counting her new boyfriend. (Source.)
at least 21
Separate documented cases (as of June 2026) of law-enforcement personnel misusing ALPR systems to track people for personal reasons. (Source.)
83,345 / ~109,000
83,345 Flock cameras across ~6,809 networks nationwide (Flock’s May 2025 figure); the crowdsourced DeFlock map catalogs ~109,000 ALPR cameras from all vendors. Different scopes — don’t merge them.
Three North Carolina communities have already ended Flock: Hillsborough, Pittsboro, and Chatham County. The full statewide picture — canceled, contested, and active — lives on our NC tracker.
Sources
- DeFlockILM analyses: the 2.98M-search audit · the cost · the camera count · NC cameras by county · NC A&T’s audit. Every figure traces to public records or the crowdsourced DeFlock map, cited on each page.
- N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-183.30–.33 (retention/disclosure). New Hanover County contract #25-0364 (on file).
The petition count updates automatically; other figures are updated as the record changes. General information for public discussion, not legal advice.
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