Town of Apex sets meeting date for Flock camera review

Apex leaders are set to review the town's use of Flock Safety license plate readers.

2026-08-27

Town staff have set a September 24 meeting date for Apex town council's public safety committee, which will come up with recommendations for council members on what action leaders should take. 

"We've heard a lot from our community members -- data retention concerns, privacy in general, just a multitude of things as it relates to the cameras we have deployed here," Mayor Jacques Gilbert said. 

Gilbert is a member of the two-person committee that will review Apex's use of automatic license plate readers, which capture and log license plate information.

"Do we continue with ALPR flock in our town?" Gilbert said. "Do we consider moving to a different provider for ALPR? Or do we just discontinue ALPRs in Apex?"

The review comes as people have flooded recent town council meetings in Apex, urging leaders to reconsider use of the cameras, citing privacy and surveillance concerns. 

"We are Apex, the peak of good living, not the peak of surveillance," one resident said at an August 11 meeting. "Photographing every car in this town, that's radical," said another.

Locals have started a resident advocacy group called "DeFlock Apex" pushing back against automated license plate readers.

Leaders from other North Carolina municipalities are weighing similar options. This week, Asheville city leaders voted to end a contract with Flock. In Mooresville, an officer was arrested and accused of using Flock technology to look up her boyfriend's ex-wife more than 30 times.

Flock did not immediately respond to WRAL's request for comment on Apex's review. The company has promised stronger safeguards in recent weeks. 

Others in Apex are urging leaders to keep Flock cameras with proper guardrails. Under the changes, every law enforcement customer will be required to use an auditing system designed to detect unusual searches. If activity is flagged, a user can be locked out while the search is reviewed. Officers will also be required to connect searches to a specific criminal case.

"If we're allowing these corporations to track us for their own profits, why are we not putting surveillance, if you want to call it that, in public places to capture information to maximize law enforcement capacity to do their job," one resident said. 

The Town of Apex limits personnel access to Flock camera data, audits town Flock camera use and has a 30-day data retention policy, according to Gilbert.

Other public safety technology in Apex is under the microscope. Town leaders recently sent an agreement for public safety drone software for further review before council members make a final decision on its approval.