Over 400 Raleigh officers have access to surveillance cameras. How does that compare?

WRAL Investigates compared Flock surveillance camera data with active Raleigh police staff numbers and other agencies. 

2026-08-27

Audits obtained by WRAL Investigates show that more than 400 Raleigh officers are regularly listed as active Flock surveillance users.

The Raleigh Police Department has more than 700 sworn law enforcement officers right now. The most recent audit, dated August 5, 2026, shows 416 of them are listed as "active" Flock users. That’s more than half of the department.

However, during the audit period, only half of those users actually logged into the system.

“It makes me suspicious,” Clara Matthews, a Wake County resident told WRAL Investigates. “What it really comes down to is transparency.”

To put that number into perspective, WRAL Investigates compared police staffing and Flock data accessibility to other agencies who use the technology. We received numbers from three other agencies within our deadline.

Fayetteville Police Department has 393 sworn officers. It reports 61 Flock users. That’s roughly 15% of its force.

Durham Police report 427 sworn officers and 252 active Flock accounts. That’s about 59% of its force.

In Asheville, the department reports roughly 170 sworn officers and 12 active users. Four of those users were professional staff. That’s about 7%.

As of this week, the Asheville Police Department no longer has Flock camera access after the city terminated their contract.

“I think it should just be officers who have clearance to do so,” Chris Barnes of Raleigh said.

According to Flock’s website, only users in approved roles can get access.

WRAL Investigates also obtained Raleigh Police Department’s policy for automated license plate readers. It says access by employees outside of the Raleigh Intelligence Center must be approved by a supervisor in advance.  

WRAL Investigates asked the department’s public information officer several questions:

• The April 2026 audit lists 417 active Flock users. Why does the Raleigh Police Department believe it is necessary to maintain Flock accounts for that many employees?
• Can you provide a breakdown of those 417 active users by role or assignment — for example, patrol officers, detectives, supervisors, intelligence personnel, civilian analysts, administrators or other categories?
• Do all 417 active users have the ability to conduct historical searches of vehicle and license-plate data? If not, how many users have that capability, and what different levels of access exist?
• Is Flock camera access routinely provided based on an officer’s assignment, or does an employee have to demonstrate a specific investigative need before receiving access?
• The April audit says 239 active users did not log in during the evaluation period, and 148 had not logged into Flock at all in 2026. Why are accounts that have gone unused for several months kept active? Does the Raleigh Police Department have an inactivity threshold after which an account is reviewed or disabled?

We are still waiting for a response to those questions. Public Information Officer Lt. David Davis said Police Chief Rico Boyce would not be available for an interview this week.

“Law enforcement uses this technology solely to support legitimate criminal investigations and public safety efforts. Its use is governed by applicable federal and state laws, department policies, and established legal processes,” Lt. Davis wrote in an email. “Officers do not use this technology for random surveillance or to monitor individuals engaged in lawful activities.”