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License-plate readers · Buncombe County

Buncombe County

Using license-plate readers · 2 agencies documented

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Asheville Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Axon
Cameras
150
150 Axon Fleet 3 mobile plate-reader cameras in patrol cars (Biltmore Beacon, undated). The 11 stationary Flock cameras were ordered removed in August 2026. Asheville's Axon contract also includes fixed readers not yet installed (Enlace Latino NC). Buncombe County had 86 Flock cameras in all, most run by other entities (BPR).
Contract
Flock Safety: $72,000 contract · from 2025 · to Aug. 2026 · Originally set to expire at the end of January 2027; terminated early by council vote Aug. 25, 2026. (BPR News (via WUNC), Aug. 21, 2026; WLOS, Aug. 25, 2026)
Contract
Axon: · from May 2026 · approved by Asheville City Council · Covers body and dash cameras and plate readers on patrol cars, plus fixed readers not yet installed. (Carolina Public Press (via NC Newsline / News From The States), Aug. 27, 2026; Enlace Latino NC, Aug. 2026)
  1. 2025 APD had been using 150 Axon Fleet 3 mobile plate-reader cameras in patrol cars for almost a year and was installing 11 stationary Flock cameras, two of them already up, according to the Biltmore Beacon, citing the City of Asheville. (Biltmore Beacon, date not shown)
  2. Sept. 23, 2025 APD's Flock transparency portal listed 30-day retention, 298,041 vehicles detected and 5,196 hotlist hits in the prior 30 days. (Flock Safety, Sept. 23, 2025)
  3. May 2026 City Council approved a new contract with Axon in May 2026. Enlace Latino NC later reported that the city's Axon contract covers plate readers on patrol cars and fixed readers not yet installed. (Carolina Public Press (via NC Newsline / News From The States), Aug. 27, 2026; Enlace Latino NC, Aug. 2026)
  4. Aug. 14, 2026 Interim Chief Jackie Stepp sent council a memo defending Flock, citing cases where it produced leads, proposing fewer authorized searchers and stricter audits, and saying the department plans to use Axon plate readers. (BPR News (via WUNC), Aug. 21, 2026)
  5. Aug. 19, 2026 Mayor Esther Manheimer called for ending the Flock contract, saying the contract did not allow the technology to be removed unless it was terminated. (FOX Carolina, Aug. 25, 2026; WLOS, Aug. 25, 2026; FOX Carolina, Aug. 19, 2026)
  6. Aug. 25, 2026 City Council voted 5-2 to end the Flock contract, remove the 11 cameras and suspend city employees' access to, searching and sharing of Flock data, and asked for a review of future use and safeguards. Deputy Mayor Anntanette Mosley and Council member Sheneika Smith voted no. (FOX Carolina, Aug. 25, 2026; WLOS, Aug. 25, 2026; Enlace Latino NC, Aug. 2026)
  7. Aug. 26, 2026 APD no longer had access to Flock's software, WLOS reported. Flock cameras run by others inside city limits were not covered. (WLOS, Aug. 26, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Status reflects the Axon patrol-car readers covered by the city's Axon contract; the Flock program ended in August 2026.
  • The Biltmore Beacon article on the 150 Axon readers is undated; the year shown is estimated from other reports.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Buncombe County Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
22
20 stationary and 2 mobile plate readers, per a BCSO spokesperson (Mountain Xpress, undated).
  1. 2026 A BCSO spokesperson told Mountain Xpress the office runs 20 stationary and 2 mobile plate readers, that 59 people can search them, and that it shares with and has access to 1,355 Flock networks nationwide, excluding Virginia. The office said the readers are not used for civil or administrative matters. (Mountain Xpress, date not shown)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The Mountain Xpress article is undated; the year shown is estimated from its references to recent council votes. It describes the readers alongside Flock network sharing but does not name their maker directly.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Statewide

  1. 2015 Session Law 2015-190 added Article 3D to Chapter 20 of the General Statutes (G.S. 20-183.30 to 20-183.32), the state's rules for police use of automatic license plate readers. Later amendments came in 2021 and 2023. (North Carolina General Assembly, date not shown; North Carolina General Assembly, date not shown; North Carolina General Assembly, date not shown)
  2. 2015 Under G.S. 20-183.31, a state or local law enforcement agency must adopt a written plate-reader policy before its system goes live. The policy must cover the databases used, retention, sharing with other agencies, operator training, supervision, data security and access, audits at least once a year reported to the agency head, and use of systems the agency doesn't run. Data may be used only for law enforcement purposes and not to enforce traffic violations. (North Carolina General Assembly, date not shown)
  3. 2015 Under G.S. 20-183.32, captured plate data may be kept no longer than 90 days unless a sworn written preservation request or a state or federal search warrant applies; preserved data must be destroyed after one year unless the request is renewed. The data is confidential, not a public record, may be shared only with criminal justice officials for a legitimate law enforcement purpose on written request, and may not be sold. Hot lists must be updated every 24 hours or as soon as practicable. (North Carolina General Assembly, date not shown)
  4. 2023 Session Law 2023-151, Section 5, set up a pilot program letting NCDOT make agreements with the State Bureau of Investigation to place fixed plate readers on state-owned right-of-way. It also repealed G.S. 20-183.32A effective Jan. 1, 2024. Session Law 2024-43, Section 3, amended the pilot, which was set to expire July 1, 2026. (North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (filed with the N.C. General Assembly), April 7, 2026; North Carolina General Assembly, date not shown)
  5. July 2024 Flock Safety obtained the state license it needed in July 2024; the license runs through July 31, 2026, The News & Observer reported, citing the Department of Public Safety. (The News & Observer (republished by AOL; original URL not found), Aug. 12, 2024)
  6. Jan. 2025 The N.C. Association of Chiefs of Police and the N.C. Sheriffs' Association helped the SBI pick the first pilot agencies. Each agency signed a memorandum of understanding with the SBI and could choose its own vendor; cameras on state right-of-way need an NCDOT encroachment approval first. (North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (filed with the N.C. General Assembly), April 7, 2026)
  7. June 16, 2025 NCDOT approved the first encroachment agreements for plate readers in state right-of-way under the pilot. The first cameras went up July 20, 2025, installed by the Raleigh Police Department. (North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (filed with the N.C. General Assembly), April 7, 2026)
  8. April 7, 2026 The SBI's initial report to legislative oversight committees said 32 agencies (12 police departments, 19 sheriff's offices and the State Highway Patrol) had asked for 250 cameras on state right-of-way. As of March 15, 2026, 17 agencies had installed 140 camera locations, with 75 more pending, and no data had been kept longer than 90 days. The SBI asked for an extension to July 1, 2028, a statewide coordinator position, $225,000 a year for access to vendors' data (pilot agencies used four vendors) and grants for cameras at state entry points. (North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (filed with the N.C. General Assembly), April 7, 2026)
  9. July 7, 2026 The state budget, S.L. 2026-41 (Senate Bill 257), was signed. It made the SBI-NCDOT right-of-way plate-reader program permanent and requires the SBI to report on it each year to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety. Similar language had been in House Bill 206 but was removed before that bill passed. The ACLU of North Carolina opposed the provision. (UNC School of Government, North Carolina Criminal Law blog, July 27, 2026; The News & Observer (via GovTech / Tribune Content Agency), July 16, 2026)
  10. July 2026 An NCDOT spokesperson said the department does not install or run the cameras but can inspect them to confirm they sit in approved spots in the right-of-way. (The News & Observer (via GovTech / Tribune Content Agency), July 16, 2026)

State agencies

North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
Administers the state right-of-way program: 140 camera locations installed by 17 agencies as of March 15, 2026.
  1. April 7, 2026 The SBI reported that its own investigators had used plate-reader data in homicide, drug and missing-person cases, and that pilot agencies used four vendors. (North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (filed with the N.C. General Assembly), April 7, 2026)
  2. July 7, 2026 The budget made the SBI's right-of-way program permanent and added an annual report to lawmakers. (UNC School of Government, North Carolina Criminal Law blog, July 27, 2026)

From agency records.