South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is demanding Flock Safety explain its AI use, data-sharing practices and data-retention policies.

Wilson sent a letter dated Friday, Oct. 2, to Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley. He warned that the company's public claims about its privacy protections must comply with the state's Unfair Trade Practices Act. Flock has 30 days to respond.

The inquiry lands close to home. Fort Mill police, the Tega Cay Police Department and the York County Sheriff's Office all operate Flock license-plate reader cameras in the communities they serve.

What the AG wants to know

Wilson's letter poses three categories of questions, as YoCo News reported: whether Flock uses any form of AI to identify vehicles or people, what restrictions govern data access across agencies and whether the company enforces mandatory data-retention policies.

Flock represents to law enforcement clients that it does not employ facial identification technology and has built-in restrictions on data access, according to the letter. Wilson wants proof.

Wilson wrote that the company's scale raises the stakes, noting Flock operates more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states. He said in an Oct. 5 news release that the instruments used to ensure public safety should also protect citizens' privacy.

Local camera footprint

The Tega Cay Police Department has operated nine Flock cameras since 2020, according to the city's published FAQ. The department entered a five-year contract with Flock in August 2023 at an annual cost of $22,500. Tega Cay says it retains collected data for a rolling 14 days before automatic deletion and restricts image access to its own authorized employees. Other agencies cannot view Tega Cay's camera data, the city states.

The York County Sheriff's Office operates 19 Flock cameras countywide, according to WBTV. Sheriff Tony Breeden has said the cameras helped close more than 250 cases in the past year, including homicides, assaults and burglaries.

Public records compiled by the DeFlock community mapping project document at least 24 surveillance camera locations tied to the Fort Mill Police Department, though that figure is described as a floor, not a total.

Retention policies vary

One question Wilson raised, data retention, already shows inconsistency locally. Tega Cay holds data 14 days. Flock Safety public affairs manager Jalen Johnson told a Tuesday, Sept. 29, community meeting in Charlotte that the company permanently deletes data after seven days, WCNC reported. The Post and Courier reported that Flock reduced its default retention from 30 days to one week in mid-August. South Carolina has no state law setting a mandatory retention period for license-plate reader data, leaving each agency to set its own policy.

Growing pushback statewide

The AG's letter follows months of public debate. A Lake Wylie man sued the York County Sheriff's Office in late June, alleging in court filings that a deputy stopped him at gunpoint for roughly five minutes after a Flock camera returned a mistaken hit on his vehicle. A Change.org petition to remove Flock cameras from York County gathered nearly 700 signatures in one week in mid-August.

In September, Oconee County Council banned Flock cameras countywide after a four-hour public meeting, according to WIS-TV.

In a July 21 video statement, Breeden acknowledged residents' concerns. "We have put good restrictions on who can use it, who can access it, the case numbers that have to be entered to utilize it," he said.

Flock Safety has not publicly responded to Wilson's letter. The company's 30-day deadline to reply falls around Nov. 1.