Davidson County commissioners order Flock cameras bagged after learning they ran weeks past shutdown vote

Event: October 12, 2025 · First reported: October 13, 2026 · 1 source

The Davidson County, North Carolina Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Aug. 24 to terminate the county's contract with Flock Safety and directed that its license plate reader cameras be shut off immediately and removed within roughly 30 days. At a meeting on Oct. 12, County Attorney Adam Jones told commissioners the network was not actually decommissioned until Oct. 7, and that no removal date had yet been set. Commissioner Tripp Kester, who also works for the sheriff's office, said he had believed the cameras were deactivated right after the vote and proposed covering them with bags so residents could see they were inactive. The board approved that measure 6-0, with Chairman Karen Watford absent.

Why this matters

The gap between a governing body's termination vote and the actual shutdown of an ALPR network raises questions about how local officials verify that surveillance directives are carried out, and who is accountable when they are not.

Key facts

Commissioners voted unanimously on Aug. 24 to end the county's Flock contract, citing resident concerns about privacy and vehicle-tracking databases.
Jones said the sheriff's office notified Flock immediately after the vote, but the camera network was not decommissioned until Oct. 7.
Kester said after learning of the delay that his "threshold of trust" with Flock was zero; the board then voted 6-0 to cover the still-mounted cameras.
The sheriff's office installed 25 cameras after commissioners approved the program in October 2024; year one was paid for with drug asset forfeiture funds, and about $76,000 was later budgeted to continue it.
Sheriff Richie Simmons had defended the system, saying it aided investigations, located missing children and helped recover stolen property.
Flock cameras remain in use within the county by the Lexington and Thomasville police departments.

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Commissioners order Flock cameras covered after learning system remained active weeks after shutdown vote (The Dispatch, October 13, 2026)

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About this record

BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.

Updated October 13, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.