Your NC license plate is on camera: Lincoln County sheriff installing surveillance devices
Drivers are going to see small black cameras appearing on the streets of Lincoln County as the sheriff’s office installs 30 license plate readers, officials said Tuesday.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said the Flock Safety-brand license plate reader cameras will help solve and reduce crime by alerting law enforcement to stolen vehicles or when a felon is traveling through, and also send alerts for tag numbers connected to a missing person.
“They will not be used for stoplight, stop sign violations or any traffic infractions or misdemeanors,” a sheriff’s news release said. “They cannot be used for vehicle accidents.”
A Flock Safety camera helped law enforcement solve a breaking and entering case in multiple jurisdictions this week, the sheriff’s office said.
Concerns over cameras
But a News & Observer investigation last May found that while these cameras have helped aid in solving cases, they’ve also raised concerns about privacy, over policing and misuse, and misidentification of people. Flock Safety is the biggest provider of these cameras in North Carolina.
The company does not sell cameras, but leases them to law enforcement agencies. The N&O investigation found that several contracts with North Carolina clients showed the cameras cost between $2,000 to $3,000 each annually. A conservative estimate, the investigation found, was that N.C. law enforcement agencies were spending upwards of $1.49 million on the devices every year.
The contracted Flock Safety cameras in Lincoln County are funded using seized drug assets, not taxpayer money, and only law enforcement officers investigating felony crimes or a missing person will be able to use the cameras, the sheriff’s news release said.
The sheriff’s office said the cameras only take still photos, not video, and store collected data for 30 days. However, if granted permission from businesses and homeowner associations that have installed Flock Safety cameras, the sheriff’s office contract gives them access to those cameras as well.
“The Sheriff’s Office maintains strict standards and supervision for the use of these cameras,” the sheriff’s office said. “We do not sell or share our data with anyone other than law enforcement.”
