UNC Charlotte restricts Flock data sharing to nearby states after WBTV report on Houston searches

Event: October 20, 2026 · First reported: October 20, 2026 · 3 sources

WBTV Investigates reported that out-of-state agencies were running millions of searches against UNC Charlotte's Flock license plate reader network, with the Houston Police Department conducting more than 183,000 searches between March and May 2026 — far more than any other agency. A university spokesperson said that as of early October 2026, UNC Charlotte limits access to its LPR data to law enforcement agencies in contiguous states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. Houston police can no longer search the network. The university also released records describing an arrest it credits to campus Flock cameras, involving a campus construction worker accused of stealing more than $100,000 in copper wire.

Why this matters

The change shows that agencies operating ALPR networks can set their own sharing boundaries, and that such limits are often adopted only after outside scrutiny reveals how distant departments are using local camera data.

Key facts

Houston Police searched the UNC Charlotte network more than 183,000 times between March and May 2026; the next-highest agency searched about 39,000 times.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police ranked 30th in searches of the network; UNC Charlotte's own police department ranked 1,491st with 229 searches over the same three months.
As of early October 2026, UNC Charlotte restricts LPR data access to agencies in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia.
Appalachian State University and UNC Chapel Hill have also turned off national sharing of their Flock networks.
UNC Charlotte is not required to share its network with other law enforcement agencies, per WBTV's reporting.

Timeline

October 20, 2026UNC Charlotte limits Flock camera access after WBTV investigation
October 21, 2026UNC Charlotte limits Flock camera access after WBTV investigation

Sources

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

UNC Charlotte limits Flock camera access after WBTV investigation (WBTV, October 20, 2026)
UNC Charlotte limits Flock camera access after WBTV investigation (WBTV, October 21, 2026)
UNC Charlotte limits Flock camera access after WBTV investigation (wbtv.com, October 21, 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 21, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.