NC law enforcement may track your next visit to a home improvement store

RALEIGH, N.C.--  Big brother or good policing is reaching a whole new level in North Carolina.  As the state rolled out a license plate reader pilot program with multiple law enforcement agencies across the state, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) also gained access to Atlanta-based Flock Safety cameras from Lowe's Home Improvement stores in our state, South Carolina and Virginia.

The implementation of the pilot program started last summer, with agencies statewide, including the  Raleigh Police Department, agreeing to take part.  The program is being paid for, in part, with a federal human trafficking grant.

In August of 2025, SBI Director Chip Hawley sent an email to Lowe's Home Improvement asking for access to the big box store's network of cameras. A Lowe's representative responded, granting access to cameras in three states.

The next month, the SBI was officially informed the Flock data was now accessible to SBI agents.

The SBI also requested access to Flock cameras located at Home Depot stores, but emails obtained by WRAL do not show whether that request was ever granted.

Flock cameras have become controversial on the local level, with many counties and municipalities backing away from the technology due to public outcry over privacy concerns.

A statement issued Monday by the SBI about the expansion of the Flock system, including Lowe's Home Improvement, said, "The information is used to combat organized retail theft and human trafficking. This effort is not unique to North Carolina or the SBI. Retail merchants collect [license plate] information and allow law enforcement access to it so that retail theft can be investigated and prevented. Merchandise worth millions of dollars has been recovered, in part, using [license plate] information from retail merchants. The same type of information is also used to track, capture, and convict individuals for those crimes."

The nearly 1,300 emails between the SBI and local law enforcement agencies also include multiple success stories using the license plate reading technology. Among those stories, a missing woman from Orange County was found in South Carolina after the system flagged a license plate, as well as 144 stolen vehicles identified and recovered by Garner Police in Wake County.

It's worth noting that both of those agencies were online before the implementation of the pilot program directed by the SBI. As part of that pilot program, the SBI is required by law to submit an annual report to the North Carolina Legislature documenting outcomes from the license plate reading systems.