Greenville, N.C.-based ECU Health is standing by its use of Flock Safety license plate reading cameras, even as the technology draws growing scrutiny from residents, lawmakers and local governments across the country.
The eastern North Carolina academic health system uses Flock’s automated license plate reader, or ALPR, cameras on its hospital campuses to capture still images of license plates for security purposes.
“ECU Health uses Flock automated license plate reader technology for the specific purpose of capturing still images of license plates in support of the safety and security of our hospital campuses,” a spokesperson told Becker’s. “Information collected through the system is accessible only to ECU Health Police and select law enforcement agencies in eastern North Carolina for public safety purposes.”
The spokesperson said the system “maintains rigorous internal policies to ensure responsible and appropriate use of ALPR technology.” ECU Health declined to answer how many Flock cameras it operates, how long it retains license plate information or what its specific retention and access policy is.
The system’s comments come amid a sharpening debate over the cameras in eastern North Carolina and nationally. Residents of Pitt and Lenoir counties have raised privacy concerns this year over how the data is used and who can access it, WCTI News 12 reported. Greenville police canceled plans in August to buy and install 10 Flock cameras after community pushback.
ECU Health also said a new UNC System rule limiting ALPR use does not apply to it as a private nonprofit. The policy, adopted in late October, caps routine data retention at 30 days and requires access safeguards and auditing for license plate readers run by campus police at UNC System schools, including East Carolina University. It takes effect Dec. 1, 2026, with existing systems required to comply by Jan. 1.
The pushback extends well beyond North Carolina. More than 50 cities and counties have canceled or deactivated ALPR cameras this year, according to Politico and ABC News. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott paused state funding for Flock cameras, and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., opened an investigation into the company.
The Institute for Justice has documented more than 100 ALPR abuse incidents, including cases of officers using the cameras to track former partners.
Flock, whose cameras operate in 49 states, recently cut its default data retention period from 30 days to seven and added an “Evidence Mode” for preserving footage tied to active investigations, ABC News reported. The company said its technology helped locate more than 10,000 missing people last year and supported roughly 1 million criminal investigations in 2025.
For hospitals, the cameras exert two competing pressures: the need to address rising concern over workplace violence, which has driven many systems to harden campus security, and mounting public wariness of surveillance technology and who can tap its data.
