{"id":4341,"date":"2026-08-05T15:08:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T15:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4341"},"modified":"2026-08-05T15:08:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T15:08:25","slug":"why-flock-safety-cameras-are-causing-controversy-in-the-midlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4341","title":{"rendered":"Why Flock Safety cameras are causing controversy in the Midlands"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Flock Safety cameras have sparked debate in communities across South Carolina\u2019s Midlands.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4340\">A parent was arrested at high school in South Carolina, sheriff says. Here\u2019s why<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>As more and more local law enforcement agencies use Flock\u2019s 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 \u2014 including a deputy\u2019s arrest for misusing the system \u2014 have intensified scrutiny of how law enforcement uses the technology.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4339\">Will SC\u2019s liquor liability requirements stay in place when the budget is adopted?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Here are key takeaways:<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>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\u2019s Department.<\/li>\n<li>Sheriff Leon Lott said he holds deputies to a higher standard and that any act violating community trust \u201cwill not be tolerated\u201d \u2014 a statement issued as the department confirmed the deputy\u2019s firing and arrest.<\/li>\n<li>Irmo\u2019s 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.<\/li>\n<li>Residents pushed back hard against the Irmo expansion, with one warning the council to remove the cameras \u201cor we will get rid of them for you,\u201d while resident Bernie Dotson cited documented Flock camera abuse cases in South Carolina, Wisconsin and Kansas.<\/li>\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<li>Penfield raised concerns that a proposed drone option would record continuously in flight, telling The State it captures \u201canybody who\u2019s in their backyard,\u201d and questioned the need for 33 cameras and aerial surveillance when crime is down year over year.<\/li>\n<li>In Blythewood, a Richland County Sheriff\u2019s Department report found that some of the town\u2019s 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.<\/li>\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><i>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.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4338\">South Carolina collects a slew of data. Lawmakers want USC to help make use of it<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From a deputy&#39;s arrest to Irmo&#39;s camera expansion and Blythewood&#39;s broken (non-Flock) cameras, here&#39;s what to know about Flock Safety surveillance in SC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Flock Safety cameras are causing controversy in the Midlands - US Moving Experts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4341\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Flock Safety cameras are causing controversy in the Midlands - US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From a deputy&#039;s arrest to Irmo&#039;s camera expansion and Blythewood&#039;s broken (non-Flock) cameras, here&#039;s what to know about Flock Safety surveillance in SC.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4341\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-05T15:08:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=4341#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=4341\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\"},\"headline\":\"Why Flock Safety cameras are causing controversy in the Midlands\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-05T15:08:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=4341\"},\"wordCount\":513,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=4341#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/aca4e29d042212da87d77f5e2c1e022b.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=4341#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=4341\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=4341\",\"name\":\"Why Flock Safety cameras are causing controversy in the Midlands - US Moving Experts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=4341#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=4341#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/aca4e29d042212da87d77f5e2c1e022b.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-05T15:08:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=4341#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=4341\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=4341#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/aca4e29d042212da87d77f5e2c1e022b.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/aca4e29d042212da87d77f5e2c1e022b.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"The town of Irmo is working to add 22 more license plate reader cameras. 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