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License-plate readers · Horry County

Horry County

Using license-plate readers · 6 agencies documented

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Conway Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No camera count found.
Sources
The Post and Courier, Aug. 19, 2026; GovTech (republishing The Sun News), Oct. 20, 2026
  1. Aug. 2026 Conway police joined the Horry County, North Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach departments in a joint video defending their use of Flock. (GovTech (republishing The Sun News), Oct. 20, 2026)
  2. Aug. 2026 Chief Dale Long said the department was updating its policies to match new Flock guidance. (The Post and Courier, Aug. 19, 2026)

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Horry County Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
23
23 Flock readers on major roads into and out of the county, as reported at installation in March 2022; no current count found. HCPD said its planned Flock transparency portal will show the current camera count.
Contract
Flock Safety: $2,500 camera (one-time or annual not stated) · approved by Horry County Council (funding) · WMBF reported about $2,500 per reader, with county council funding supplemented by grant money; WBTW reported about $2,300 per camera paid with multiple grants. Sources disagree on the per-camera figure; no total or term was reported. (WMBF News, March 21, 2022; WBTW News13, March 22, 2022)
Sources
WPDE, Oct. 13, 2026; GovTech (republishing The Sun News), Oct. 20, 2026
  1. March 2022 HCPD said it was installing 23 Flock readers on major roads entering and leaving the county, with the program expected to start within weeks. (WMBF News, March 21, 2022; WBTW News13, March 22, 2022)
  2. Aug. 2026 The Post and Courier reported that Horry County Council's public safety committee planned to take up Flock camera use in October. (The Post and Courier, Aug. 19, 2026)
  3. Oct. 13, 2026 At the county Public Safety Committee, Chief Kris Leonhardt said the department will launch a Flock transparency portal showing camera count, retention policy, search counts and hot-list activity. The Sun News reported it would launch within a few weeks; WPDE said no completion date was known. (WPDE, Oct. 13, 2026; GovTech (republishing The Sun News), Oct. 20, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Per-camera cost differs by outlet: about $2,500 (WMBF, 2022-03-21) vs. about $2,300 (WBTW, 2022-03-22).
  • The Sun News (via GovTech) reported a resident petition asking the county to end Flock use had more than 250 signatures as of October 2026.
  • HCPD's Flock transparency portal was not yet live as of mid-October 2026.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Loris Police Department

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
4
Four Flock cameras, per July 2024 reporting; no installation confirmation found.
Contract
Flock Safety: $2,500 camera per year · Price quoted to the city safety committee in March 2023: about $2,500 per camera per year, rising to about $3,000 in April 2023. No council vote was reported. (WMBF News, March 1, 2023)
Sources
WMBF News, July 3, 2024
  1. March 1, 2023 A police lieutenant asked the city safety committee for four Flock cameras at the city's entry points; no vote was taken. (WMBF News, March 1, 2023)
  2. July 2024 WMBF reported Loris police had asked Santee Cooper for permission to mount the department's four cameras on utility poles. (WMBF News, July 3, 2024)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Whether Santee Cooper agreed, and whether the cameras were installed, was not found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Myrtle Beach Police Department

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
37
37 license plate readers citywide as of March 2019, after 8 were added; vendor not named. No later LPR count found (the city reported nearly 1,200 cameras of all types in 2023).
Contract
Vendor not named in source: $37,000 grant · U.S. Department of Justice grant tied to the 2019 expansion; the article does not say whether it covered the full cost. (WMBF News, March 18, 2019)
Sources
WMBF News, March 18, 2019
  1. March 2019 Eight new plate readers were installed on the U.S. 17 Bypass near the airport and on Farrow Parkway, bringing the city to 37. (WMBF News, March 18, 2019)
  2. Aug. 2023 WMBF reported the city had nearly 1,200 public safety cameras; the report gave no plate-reader breakdown. (WMBF News, Aug. 10, 2023)
Conflicts and open questions
  • No source since Oct. 31, 2025 confirms that the LPRs are still in use or names the vendor.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

North Myrtle Beach Department of Public Safety (police)

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No camera count found.
Sources
GovTech (republishing The Sun News), Oct. 20, 2026
  1. Aug. 2026 North Myrtle Beach police were one of four Horry County departments, with Horry County, Conway and Surfside Beach police, to release a joint video defending Flock. (GovTech (republishing The Sun News), Oct. 20, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Only one secondhand mention found (The Sun News via GovTech). No contract or council record located.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Surfside Beach Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
9
Nine cameras approved in October 2022; no later count found.
Contract
Flock Safety: $52,000 two years (approximate) · approved by Surfside Beach Town Council (6-1) · About $30,000 up front, split evenly between police drug forfeiture funds and the town hospitality fund; about $52,000 total over two years. (WMBF News, Oct. 12, 2022)
Sources
WMBF News, Oct. 12, 2022; The Post and Courier, Aug. 19, 2026
  1. Oct. 2022 Town Council voted 6-1 to install nine Flock readers; Councilman William Kilken voted no, saying he supported the cameras but wanted to wait until January. (WMBF News, Oct. 12, 2022)
  2. Aug. 2026 Chief Bill Mickle publicly defended the cameras, calling them an investigative tool that captures vehicle information; the department also joined a joint video defending Flock. (The Post and Courier, Aug. 19, 2026; GovTech (republishing The Sun News), Oct. 20, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • WMBF said the vote was 'Tuesday night' in an article dated Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022, which points to Oct. 11, 2022, but the article does not give the date, so the event is recorded as 2022-10.

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.