Who Can See North Carolina's License Plate Camera Data? Triangle Police Explain Safeguards

Questions about who can view license plate reader data, and how it is guarded against misuse, are drawing fresh attention in North Carolina as communities weigh privacy concerns about Flock Safety cameras.

The scrutiny follows the arrest of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer, whom the State Bureau of Investigation accuses of illegally accessing a Flock database. The case prompted an investigation into racial bias and led to several police resignations. As part of an ABC11 I-Team investigation, reporters asked Triangle law enforcement agencies about access, data retention and protections against abuse.

The cameras record a vehicle's license plate, the date and time it was detected, the camera's location and basic details about the vehicle. Each department owns the data it collects and decides who may access or share it.

Apex is roughly a year into a pilot program that uses eight cameras and keeps data for seven days. Raleigh operates 29 cameras and retains its data for one month.

Apex Police Chief Ryan Johansen said he was surprised to learn how frequently outside agencies search his department's data. "When you run a data backlog, about 99% of the searches of Apex data are not conducted by Apex police officers," he said. "And I mean, that shocked me."

Apex officers must give a justification for each search, such as a case, warrant or call-for-service number, and repeated searches involving the same vehicle trigger additional review. Johansen said the town also narrowed its data sharing after residents raised concerns. "We do not share nationwide anymore," he said. Data is now shared only with police and sheriff's offices in North Carolina and the four surrounding states, and anything beyond that requires legal process. "There is no crime that is so important to solve, that you should transgress upon that trust," he said.

Both Apex and Raleigh audit their use of the system and require documentation for searches. Raleigh police told the I-Team the technology supports legitimate criminal investigations and public safety work, including identifying suspects, finding evidence and locating missing or endangered people. "Officers do not use this technology for random surveillance or to monitor individuals engaged in lawful activities," the department said.

Flock said its customers own and control their data and decide with whom it is shared. The company said every search requires a documented reason and leaves a permanent audit record. It added that its Audit Assistance tool, which flags abnormal activity for review, will be mandatory for all law enforcement customers by the end of 2026, and that it is developing technology to automatically suspend access when unusual activity is detected, pending review.

Johansen said the public conversation should continue as communities look for a balance between privacy and public safety. "We need to keep talking to one another and figure out how we reach this middle ground," he said. Apex Town Council member Ed Gray was scheduled to hold a public meeting Thursday evening to hear residents' concerns about the technology. Raleigh police also publish information about their Flock camera use and answer community questions online.