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Sheriff defends Flock license-plate cameras as investigators credit them with arrests; committee voices privacy worries
Summary
Sheriff Mike Crenshaw told the committee that the county owns data from five Flock license-plate cameras, the system retains images for 30 days, and LPR hits have helped recover a missing 9-year-old and arrest suspects. Committee members raised concerns about outside access, potential misuse and pending litigation that has paused state permitting of new cameras on state highways.
Sheriff Mike Crenshaw told the committee that Oconee County uses five Flock license-plate reader (LPR) cameras and that the county "owns the data on our cameras." He described the system as producing still photos of vehicle rear images and tag numbers, with a standard 30-day retention window the vendor enforces: "There's a 30 day retention period... on day 31, there's an automatic hard delete."
Crenshaw said the cameras have produced investigative leads in multiple cases: he cited a 2023 incident in which a 9-year-old was recovered after a Flock hit in another county and examples of suspects located out of state following alerts. He said the sheriff's office limits access (about 31 users) and performs monthly audits of searches; he also described an internal disciplinary protocol that can include termination and decertification for officers who misuse searches.
Committee members raised privacy and civil-liberties concerns. One member read critical reporting and online analysis alleging repeated misuse of similar systems elsewhere and warned about federal partners or third parties accessing data; the member asked whether Flock could share data with ICE. Crenshaw answered that the company states it does not directly share data with ICE but that local public-safety agencies sometimes collaborate with federal partners, and he said the county has not denied outside agencies' search requests to date. He also noted a recent South Carolina Court of Appeals ruling (July) that affirmed a conviction in a Rock Hill case where LPR images were used; he said the state has paused permitting cameras on state highways pending litigation.
The sheriff said he supports regulations and judicial oversight where necessary and acknowledged public concern: "If my county attorney tells me, sure, they're unconstitutional, I believe they are. We'll take them back," he said. The committee did not adopt new policy at the meeting; members requested copies of the county's signed agreement with the vendor and additional reports on outside access and audit logs.
