A petition calling for the removal of Flock Safety cameras in Henderson County has gained hundreds of signatures as some residents raise concerns about privacy, data collection and the growing use of the technology.

Henderson County resident Austin Rhodes started the online petition, which had 937 signatures and more than 500 shares as of Monday afternoon.

“I'm trying to get as much attention to the subject as possible so that way change can be made in the county,” Rhodes said.

Rhodes said his ultimate goal is to have the cameras removed from the county.

“We've had successful policing here as long as the county's been here and have the argument that we can't do our jobs effectively without it. That's a silly and moot point," he said.

According to DeFlock, an online source that maps automated license plate reader cameras across the U.S., there are 39 Flock cameras in Henderson County.

The cameras automatically capture license plates and vehicle information, providing law enforcement with another tool to investigate crimes. But Rhodes and other residents say they are concerned about how much information is being collected and who can access it.

“I think Flock cameras are an invasive tech that is proliferating very quickly in our county, and it's stealing our information. It's watching us all the time, and it's making regular citizens feel like criminals,” Henderson County resident Tiernan Turner said.

Rhodes also raised concerns about the cost of the cameras and the possibility of vandalism.

“I know in Asheville and Rutherford County, there have been vandalism cases regarding these cameras, and I'm not advocating for that, but that is a concern because they're costly," he said.

News 13 reached out to the Henderson County Sheriff's Office about the residents' concerns. The department said it is putting together information about Flock cameras that it plans to share on its social media platforms at a later date.

For Turner, the concerns extend beyond the cameras currently in place.

“It never stops at, you know, 10 or 20 cameras. It's going to be on every corner of every neighborhood and it's going to track you and watch you wherever you go from church to schools to your doctor's office to gun shows to protests," he said.

Rhodes said safeguards don't completely ease his concerns about the potential for misuse.

“No amount of internal auditing or self-regulation can prevent misuse as highlighted by the recent case in Charlotte and other cases across the nation,” he said.

Turner said he worries those concerns could ultimately affect the relationship between residents and law enforcement.

“I just, I fear that this is eroding the public trust between citizens and their leaders and citizens and their police departments and I worry that this culture is going to lead to less citizen involvement when the police do need our help and that's the last thing any of us want," Turner said.

An opposing petition supporting the cameras has also circulated online. As of Monday afternoon, it had 32 signatures. News 13 reached out to the person who started that petition but did not receive a response.

 

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOS.