Students gathered at Appalachian State University's Plemmons Student Union on August 17 to protest the university's contract with national security agency Flock Safety. The demonstration, which saw 10 attendees, is part of a growing movement in the High Country to end Boone's relationship with Flock and promote less controversial security methods.
Appalachian State signed a 24-month contract with Flock Safety in 2022, leading to the installation of three Falcon ALPR license plate scanners. The installation incurred a $1050 tax, with a biannual cost of $2500 for each camera. The protest was primarily inspired by the Instagram page @deflock.boone828, which began posting on June 5 and has garnered over 2000 followers by tracking Flock camera locations on campus and in Boone. The account also prompted an official response from Boone Mayor Dalton George regarding the presence and use of Flock cameras in the area.
Mayor George stated that the decision to implement the cameras was made "approximately 6 years ago," by a town council body of which no current member was a part. He clarified that the Town of Boone controls only two Flock cameras in Watauga County, out of more than 20 systems overall, with others belonging to private businesses, NCDOT, Watauga County, and Appalachian State University. Under state law, the town's only option is to terminate the contract, which would remove just two systems. The Mayor added that he proposed a measure to pause additional systems, ensuring the Town would not acquire more than its current two cameras. He personally stated that if he were to vote on the topic, he would choose to terminate the contract.
The two cameras under town control are monitored solely by the Boone Police Department and are used to track vehicles and license plates, not individuals or facial data, according to Flock's transparency website. The website states that the Boone Police Department "uses Flock technology to capture objective evidence without risking individual privacy" and conducts "retroactive searches to solve crimes after they have occurred." The source material notes a third ALPR camera mentioned on the transparency website is non-permanent, reserved for special events or threats, according to Mayor George. Information collected by the town's Flock cameras is not shared with third parties, immigration officials, or used for traffic enforcement or intimidation, as per Flock's website.
Public comments on Mayor George's Instagram post showed a mix of views, with many advocating for the removal of the cameras and some supporting their use for crime solving. Boone Police Flock cameras have been involved in notable incidents. One camera at the Watauga County Recreation Center alerted the Watauga County Sheriff's Office and local police to a vehicle matching the license plate of a murder suspect from Greenville County, South Carolina. The driver, Raimon St. John Campbell, was subsequently apprehended by Boone Police and is awaiting trial in Watauga County.
Another incident involved a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer, Seth Elliot, who was placed on administrative leave without pay. Elliot allegedly used Flock cameras to obtain license plate information for an undercover Boone police officer, which he then provided to a suspected drug dealer. This information, according to a North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) Facebook post, was purportedly taken from an unauthorized search of a North Carolina license plate registration system. The NCSBI investigation into Elliot's actions continues.
Controversies surrounding the use of these cameras are escalating nationally due to frequent reports of technology abuse by police. In Boone, this discontent is further fueled by public demonstrations like the student protest at Sanford Mall. First-year students organized the protest, driven by increasing pressure at various governmental levels to end contracts with Flock and questions about the company's technology.
Ben Aldred, a third-year psychology student, commented, "Many people have a real passion for this topic. I don't think many people really know about this. I didn't know until earlier. If I had known, I would have been very angry, and I know many people will be very angry when they realize what has happened." Despite Flock's assurances that its license plate detection cameras and ALPRs cannot track individuals or their biometric data, national fears persist that recorded data could be used for such purposes, sometimes by law enforcement officials with access to Flock's information systems.
Starr Brady, a first-year criminal justice student and protest organizer, emphasized concerns beyond privacy: "It's not just about total privacy, as it were, but also the idea of feeling safe in general, the feeling that your life is private. While yes, you are in a public place, you know that every movement you make is not being recorded. You know that your facial data is not being collected every time you leave your dorm."
Details of Appalachian State's contract with Flock came to light through a public records request submitted by DeFlockILM, a citizen organization in Wilmington opposed to Flock camera installations. DeFlockILM shared emails with Appalachian State and details about the university's business relationship with Flock. Mark Williams, a Wilmington lawyer, published these emails, which showed Appalachian State's refusal to confirm camera locations, citing state law N.C.G.S. § 132-1.7, which exempts certain security information from public disclosure. However, a general consensus exists regarding the cameras' locations due to their recognizable nature, with two believed to be on Rivers Street (one facing John E. Thomas Hall) and a third near Walker Hall. Receipts between Flock and Appalachian State detailed the purchase of three Flock Falcon ALPRs, with contract language implying correspondence about additional, unpurchased devices like Raven shot detectors and Sparrow ALPRs.
Flock Safety's technology is contributing to national discussions about surveillance, artificial intelligence, and their broader implications.
