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License-plate readers · Georgetown County

Georgetown County

Using license-plate readers · 3 agencies documented

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Georgetown County Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
34
34 Flock cameras as of September 2026; the first 10 were bought in 2020.
Contract
Flock Safety: $2,500 camera per year · Annual fee per camera, with no installation charge, as reported by the Coastal Observer. No council approval was reported. (Coastal Observer, Sept. 7, 2026)
Sources
Coastal Observer, Sept. 7, 2026
  1. 2020 The sheriff's office bought its first 10 Flock cameras. (Coastal Observer, Sept. 7, 2026)
  2. 2023 The office put its plate-reader rules in writing, including who may use and see the data, when it may be shared, training, and audits for misuse. (Coastal Observer, Sept. 7, 2026)
  3. Sept. 2026 The office has 34 cameras, updated its policy, and is setting up a Flock transparency portal. Sheriff Carter Weaver said there had been no misuse and no vandalism. (Coastal Observer, Sept. 7, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The policy update happened the week before the Sept. 7, 2026 article (late August or early September); the exact date was not given.
  • Maj. Melvyn Garrett is responsible for audits.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Georgetown Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
Uses the sheriff's Flock system; no city-owned count was reported.
Sources
Coastal Observer, Sept. 7, 2026
  1. Sept. 2026 Chief Nelson Brown said the department uses the county's Flock system. (Coastal Observer, Sept. 7, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The city ran a grant-funded plate-reader test decades ago, with cameras on U.S. 17 and in patrol cars, and dropped it when the software aged and replacing it cost too much; no dates were given.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Pawleys Island Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
Has ALPRs that are not Flock, per the Coastal Observer (September 2026); no count or vendor given.
Sources
Coastal Observer, Sept. 7, 2026
  1. Sept. 2026 The Coastal Observer reported the department has license plate readers that are not made by Flock. (Coastal Observer, Sept. 7, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Vendor unknown; a records request is needed.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Statewide

  1. March 2024 By March 2024 SCDOT had stopped approving new plate-reader installations in state right-of-way, citing ongoing litigation, according to an SCDOT spokeswoman. In February 2024 Transportation Secretary Christy Hall had said the department found more than 200 Flock cameras on state right-of-way without permits. A Flock spokesman said cities, counties and private owners could still install cameras elsewhere. The date the pause began was not reported. (The Post and Courier, March 11, 2024)
  2. July 2024 Local agencies reported working around the SCDOT pause, e.g., mounting cameras on private property or utility poles (Florence County SO, Loris PD; both outside the Midlands). (WMBF News, July 3, 2024)
  3. Jan. 14, 2025 H. 3155 (Rep. Rutherford) introduced and referred to House Judiciary: would restrict ALPR use to listed purposes, cap retention at 90 days, bar sale of data, and make violations a misdemeanor. No action after referral shown on the bill page. (South Carolina General Assembly, Jan. 14, 2025)
  4. Feb. 13, 2025 H. 4013 (Reps. J.E. Johnson, Gilliam, Bailey, Guest; Alexander added 2025-03-26) introduced and referred to House Education and Public Works: lists lawful ALPR uses, 90-day retention for law enforcement absent an investigation, audit logs, written public policy, ban on sale; expressly lets SLED operate an ALPR database; adds Section 57-3-786 directing SCDOT to set up a permit process for government cameras on non-interstate rights of way. No action after referral shown. (South Carolina General Assembly, Feb. 13, 2025; Municipal Association of South Carolina, date not shown)
  5. March 12, 2025 S. 447 (Sen. Brian Adams; companion H. 3155) introduced and referred to Senate Judiciary. Similar framework to H. 4013 (permitted uses, 90-day retention, written policy, access logs, visual confirmation before stops, no sale of data, SLED database authorized, SCDOT permitting via new Section 57-3-786) and makes misuse of law enforcement ALPR data a misdemeanor (fine up to $1,000 and up to two years in prison). (South Carolina General Assembly, April 9, 2026)
  6. April 15, 2025 WSPA quoted an SCDOT spokesperson on April 15, 2025 saying it was "unclear" whether the devices are allowed in state-owned right-of-way; on April 17 WIS reported SCDOT had not installed readers in state right-of-way for more than a year and was waiting for direction from lawmakers. (WIS News 10, April 17, 2025; WSPA 7NEWS (via Yahoo News), date not shown)
  7. April 15, 2025 A Senate Judiciary subcommittee gave S. 447 a favorable report; the full committee carried it over (per MASC tracker). (Municipal Association of South Carolina, date not shown)
  8. March 2, 2026 Attorney General Alan Wilson joined two Georgia-led multistate friend-of-the-court briefs, with 17 other states signing alongside South Carolina, supporting police use of license plate readers against Fourth Amendment challenges. The office's release does not name the cases or courts. (South Carolina Attorney General's Office, March 2, 2026)
  9. April 9, 2026 Senate Judiciary Committee reported S. 447 favorably (statehouse bill page lists 4/9/2026; MASC tracker lists 04.08.2026). No later floor action is shown on either page; FOX Carolina reported in September 2026 that lawmakers are expected to revisit ALPR rules in January 2027. As of these sources South Carolina has no statute specifically governing ALPR. (South Carolina General Assembly, April 9, 2026; Municipal Association of South Carolina, date not shown; FOX Carolina, Sept. 11, 2026)
  10. Sept. 2026 Gov. Henry McMaster, asked by FOX Carolina after Florida moved to remove Flock cameras from state roads, said law enforcement should not be deprived of such tools and that misuse should bring accountability. (FOX Carolina, Sept. 11, 2026)

State agencies

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED)

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
6
SLED's own units as SLED described them in 2022: five trailer-mounted portable readers and one fixed reader; most reads in its central database come from local agencies (48 contributing agencies, ~400 million reads, three-year retention, per 2022 reporting).
Sources
GovTech / The State, Nov. 17, 2022; WSPA 7NEWS (via Yahoo News), date not shown; Flock Safety / Lexington Police Department, Dec. 7, 2025
  1. Nov. 2022 Reporting on a petition against SLED described its central ALPR database ("Back Office"): about 400 million plate images kept three years, SLED-owned units of five trailers and one fixed camera, data from 48 agencies. (GovTech / The State, Nov. 17, 2022)
  2. Dec. 7, 2025 SLED is listed among organizations with access to Lexington Police Department's Flock data on Lexington PD's Flock transparency portal. (Flock Safety / Lexington Police Department, Dec. 7, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • WSPA (April 15, 2025) quoted senior SLED agent Mark Amos as saying the data is used only for law-enforcement investigations and that every search has a reason behind it.
  • No South Carolina statute expressly addresses the database; petitioners challenging it say no law authorizes it and SLED says state law does. H. 4013 and S. 447 would authorize it expressly.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.