Members of the Southern Pines Town Council want clarity when it comes to the use of Flock cameras. At the council’s June 23 work session, membership had the chance to discuss the pros and cons of the devices with local law enforcement.
While concerns were expressed about the cameras potentially being too intrusive, Southern Pines Police Chief Nick Polidori pointed out the limited nature of information gathered from their use.
“It’s just a picture of the license plate,” Polidori, who noted the system doesn’t capture anything else, said. “It doesn’t take pictures of people driving.”
Polidori told members that eight of the cameras are in use around town.
“It’s been a very good tool for us,” he said. “It’s also a very good reference tool for criminal investigations.”
When asked about the potential for data misuse, Polidori assured members that audits are conducted monthly to prevent unauthorized access.
“That’s every single search done for the month,” he said.
To date, the audits have not generated issues. Should an audit raise eyebrows, an internal investigation would be triggered.
The Flock cameras have been utilized in Southern Pines since the spring of 2024.
“It’s just taking a picture of a license plate on a public road,” Polidori said.
Assurances were given to Mayor Taylor Clement and the council that police wouldn’t share information with private entities, including the vendor.
“Flock doesn’t own our data,” Polidori said. “Flock deletes it in 30 days.”
With all types of digital systems, hacking is a common concern. Polidori isn’t aware of problems with Flock’s procedures.
“They tell us they’ve never been hacked,” he said. “We have no known risks at this point.”
If hacking were to occur, police said the cameras would be disabled or removed.
Chief Polidori advised that he was unaware of Flock being audited by an independent entity and stated his agency had not done an audit of the company.
Council members concluded that conversations about the cameras would continue.
The council’s next meeting – as mentioned by Town Manager Reagan Parsons – is scheduled for July 28 at 6 p.m.
Feature photo by Flock.
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel reporter Dave Lukow. Dave has been honored as both a lyricist and screenwriter. Among other publications he’s contributed to are the Buffalo News, JD Journal, Beckett Hockey, Seminole Player’s Life, Poker Pro, Walmart World, and All In.
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