By admin 
Flock Safety cameras have sparked debate in communities across South Carolina’s Midlands.
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As more and more local law enforcement agencies use Flock’s license plate-reading cameras, the technology has become a flashpoint. Some towns are considering expanding surveillance networks even as residents raise alarms about the impacts on privacy. Recent incidents — including a deputy’s arrest for misusing the system — have intensified scrutiny of how law enforcement uses the technology.
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Here are key takeaways:
- A former Richland County deputy, Russell Kenton II, 35, was arrested and charged with misconduct in office after using the Flock camera system to look up information unrelated to his law enforcement duties, according to a news release from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
- Sheriff Leon Lott said he holds deputies to a higher standard and that any act violating community trust “will not be tolerated” — a statement issued as the department confirmed the deputy’s firing and arrest.
- Irmo’s town council approved a $403,050 contract to add 22 more Flock cameras, tripling its current network from 11 to 33, in a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Gabriel Penfield opposed.
- Residents pushed back hard against the Irmo expansion, with one warning the council to remove the cameras “or we will get rid of them for you,” while resident Bernie Dotson cited documented Flock camera abuse cases in South Carolina, Wisconsin and Kansas.
- Irmo officials say the cameras capture license plates and rear images of vehicles but do not use facial recognition or photograph drivers, and are meant strictly as investigative tools for crimes like abductions, burglaries and missing persons cases.
- Penfield raised concerns that a proposed drone option would record continuously in flight, telling The State it captures “anybody who’s in their backyard,” and questioned the need for 33 cameras and aerial surveillance when crime is down year over year.
- In Blythewood, a Richland County Sheriff’s Department report found that some of the town’s 125 security cameras were pointed at trees, the ground or simply not working, prompting council to approve a $725-per-month maintenance contract with National Alert Security Systems.
- Blythewood has spent well over $100,000 on its security system in the last decade and suspended large public events in 2025 over safety concerns, with Councilwoman Tricia Hovis saying she may consider Flock cameras as an alternative vendor going forward.
- Flock Safety told Irmo officials the town owns all collected data and the company automatically deletes server-stored data after 30 days, though a state bill that would have let SCDOT use the technology on highways did not advance before the legislative session ended in May.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
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