The Sun News reported that the Horry County Police Department plans to launch a public portal on its website within a few weeks. The Flock Safety Transparency Portal will describe the county's camera system and the department's policies, Police Chief Kris Leonhardt told the Public Safety Committee.
Leonhardt said many agencies already run some version of a Flock transparency portal. The story also says a Conway resident started a petition asking the county to end its Flock camera use, and that it had more than 250 signatures as of October.
How are plate readers used in Horry County?
The cameras are automatic license plate readers. They capture images of plates and vehicle characteristics, and the story says those images have helped agencies find stolen cars and missing people.
The story lists these recent developments:
- In August, HCPD, North Myrtle Beach Police, Conway Police and Surfside Beach Police released a joint video defending the Flock system.
- In September, a Virginia sheriff's office used plate readers to track a 19-year-old across three states. Deputies say he abducted his former girlfriend. He was later arrested in Pender County, North Carolina.
- On Oct. 5, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson sent Flock Safety a letter asking about its privacy and security policies.
How can I check whether my plate was captured?
The story points to two outside websites. DeFlock shows how many Flock cameras are mapped in a community, and you can see the same kind of information on the camera map here. Have I Been Flocked lets you enter a plate to see whether Flock has searched it. According to that site, more than 4.6 million plates have been seen through Flock searches.
A plate that does not show up does not prove it was never searched. The website cites gaps in historical data, missing audit logs from agencies, slow records requests, and heavily redacted logs. For background on the technology, see how plate readers work.
What changes for drivers?
The story does not report any camera removals or contract changes in Horry County. The portal is described as information about the cameras and policies, not a change to them. The portal covers the county's cameras and HCPD's policies, so nothing in the story changes cameras run by other agencies.
Residents who want the underlying records can check published transparency records by agency.
What happens next?
The story gives no launch date beyond 'in a few weeks.' Residents can watch the county website for the portal and ask the Public Safety Committee how many cameras the county runs, where they are, how long plate data is kept, and whether audit logs will be published with the portal.