UNC Police turns off automatic Flock data sharing with other N.C. agencies

First reported: October 6, 2026 · 5 sources

UNC Police Chief Brian James told the Faculty Executive Committee on Monday that he disabled the feature allowing other North Carolina law enforcement agencies to automatically access the department's Flock license plate reader data, a decision he said he made a few weeks earlier. James cited awareness of potential misuse of the cameras and said outside agencies must now contact UNC directly, with UNC reviewing any request before releasing information. He said UNC Police never shared data with federal agencies and that he is unaware of any ICE presence on campus.

Why this matters

Automatic, statewide data sharing is a default setting on many Flock deployments, and a university police department unilaterally switching it off offers a reference point for other agencies weighing whether network-wide access is necessary for their own investigative needs.

Key facts

UNC Police Chief Brian James announced the change at a Faculty Executive Committee meeting Monday, saying he made the decision a few weeks prior.
James said the department averages roughly 25 to 30 searches per month, mostly investigator follow-ups, and that only supervisors and investigators had camera access.
UNC signed its contract with Flock in 2024, according to James.
James said he has no intention of reinstating the sharing feature and would notify faculty if that changed.
UNC Media Relations did not respond to The Daily Tar Heel's request for comment before publication.

Sources

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

UNC ends Flock camera data sharing with N.C. law enforcement (The Daily Tar Heel, October 6, 2026)
UNC-Chapel Hill ends Flock camera data-sharing with NC law enforcement agencies (Raleigh News & Observer, October 6, 2026)
UNC-Chapel Hill police stop sharing Flock camera data with NC law enforcement agencies (WRAL, October 7, 2026)
UNC police stops automatic sharing of Flock camera data (Newsbreak, October 8, 2026)
Report: UNC Police halts automatic sharing of Flock camera data with NC law enforcement amid misuse concerns (WCNC, October 8, 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 8, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.