Rogers takes responsibility for lack of transparency on Flock cameras

Lenoir County Sheriff Jackie Rogers accepted responsibility Wednesday night for not notifying the public before 16 Flock Safety license plate readers were installed across the county.

The Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office held a public question-and-answer session Wednesday to explain how the cameras work and address concerns about privacy, data security, artificial intelligence and public oversight.

During the meeting, resident Laura Foss questioned Rogers about why the public was not informed before the cameras were purchased and installed.

“Without that advanced notification, that’s not the definition of transparency,” Foss said. “Transparency is letting me know ahead of time what you’re thinking about doing.”

Later in the meeting, Rogers directly addressed the criticism.

“Totally on me for not being as transparent when we decided to purchase these cameras,” Rogers said.

Rogers said county commissioners trusted him to make a decision he believed was best for public safety. He apologized for not holding a public discussion beforehand.

“If anybody’s to blame, it’s me,” Rogers said. “It’s not the county commissioners. It’s not anybody else. It’s me.”

Rogers returned to the issue later in the meeting and said he took full responsibility.

“If I thought it was such a concern to my constituents, I would have been transparent and I would have had a public forum before we even decided to do it,” Rogers said.

The Sheriff’s Office said the 16 cameras were installed Sept. 11, 2025. The initial cost was $105,750, paid through federal asset forfeiture funds. The county pays $48,000 annually for the system.

Capt. Christie Smith said the cameras take still photographs of license plates and vehicles traveling on public roads. The cameras do not record video, use facial recognition, monitor vehicle speed or issue traffic citations.

Data is retained for 30 days, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Officers must enter a case number and a reason to search the system, and searches are recorded for auditing.

Sheriff’s Office officials said the cameras have assisted with homicide investigations, missing-person cases, stolen vehicles, breaking and entering cases and hit-and-run investigations.

Residents said they did not dispute the potential law enforcement benefits but questioned how the system could be used in the future, how misuse would be disclosed to the public and whether later software or hardware changes could expand surveillance capabilities.

A Flock representative said the company does not use facial recognition on the cameras and could not make significant changes to the county’s system without approval.

Rogers said an employee who improperly used the system would be fired, though he acknowledged that personnel laws could limit what the Sheriff’s Office could publicly disclose unless the incident resulted in a criminal proceeding.

Rogers said the contract is scheduled for renewal Sept. 10, 2027, and said a public hearing could be held before the renewal.

“You have a voice in the way we spend our money,” Rogers said.

The full presentation and public question-and-answer session are included with this article.