BIG STORY: Royally flocked: S.C. debates future of surveillance cameras
ROUNDUP: Wilson seeks public input, names transition team
LOWCOUNTRY, Ariail: When we needed him
BRACK: Lacore reflects on what’s ahead in blue wave Congress
ANOTHER VIEW, Cobb-Hunter: What the blue tsunami can mean to S.C.’s future
MYSTERY PHOTO: Pointy tip
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
Royally flocked: S.C. debates future of surveillance cameras
By Jack O’Toole, Statehouse Bureau | Perhaps the surest sign of success for any company is when its name becomes synonymous with the product it sells.
Think Band Aids. Or Kleenex. Or, more controversially, Flock, whose cameras have become the latest flashpoint in America’s — and South Carolina’s — neverending debate over where to draw the line between public safety and government surveillance.
Here in the Palmetto State, the fight over Flock cameras — formally known as automated license plate readers, or ALPRs — is currently playing out in local council chambers, the state attorney general’s office, and soon, the S.C. House and S.C. Senate.
To date, Ground Zero for the local side of that debate has been Oconee County, where its county council voted to cut off funding for the roadside cameras in September, even as Sheriff Mike Crenshaw vigorously opposed the action and requested an attorney general’s opinion on whether it was permissible under state law.
State Attorney General Alan Wilson — better known since Nov. 3 as Gov.-elect Alan Wilson — then took two closely watched actions.
On Oct. 2, his office issued a formal but nonbinding opinion arguing that any regulation of ALPRs was a question for the state legislature, not local governments.
And then, on the same day, he fired off a letter to Flock, expressing his support for critical law enforcement technologies and his concerns about the potential for abuse.
“As attorney general, I have no higher priority than keeping the people of South Carolina safe, and I support law enforcement efforts to use the latest tools available to them in their crime-fighting efforts,” Wilson wrote. “But even the best tools have the potential for misuse. And given Flock’s broad reach, covering more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states, the stakes are particularly high.”
He also demanded answers to five questions within 30 days:
- Does Flock employ any form of artificial intelligence in identifying vehicles or people?
- What restrictions does Flock place on access to data?
- Does Flock help facilitate sharing data across multiple customers, including government agencies, to a “broader network?”
- Who can access this “broader network” of data?
- Does Flock impose any mandatory data retention policies, and if so, what are these policies?
A spokesman for the attorney general’s office confirmed on Nov. 9 that it had not yet received a response from the company.
Growing civil liberties concerns
In a country often described as deeply divided, the most striking thing about ALPR critics may be their ideological diversity.
In Florida, for instance, the doubters include GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, who in August revoked permits for local governments to put the cameras on state roads. And in Washington state, they include Gov. Bob Ferguson, who in April signed the Driver Privacy Act, which restricts where and for what purposes ALPRs can be used, and sets strict limits on data retention and sharing.
That same dynamic is visible here in the Palmetto State, where skeptics run the ideological gamut from the progressive ACLU of South Carolina to members of the hard-right S.C. House Freedom Caucus.
For the ACLU’s Paul Bowers, the growing ALPR backlash is long overdue, particularly in a state where officers with six local law enforcement agencies have been caught misusing the technology, including to track their spouses and acquaintances.
“People are disgusted when they hear about that kind of abuse,” Bowers said. “But beyond that, there are some pretty chilling implications to having a nationwide surveillance network that can log your every movement when you leave your front door — and increasingly, that’s where we’re headed.”
To illustrate his concerns, Bowers pointed to incidents around the country in which officers have used ALPRs to track protesters, women seeking out-of-state abortions and people who wrote op-eds critical of law enforcement in local newspapers.
“There’s a natural ‘ick’ factor to all that,” Bowers said. “People don’t like being surveilled. It feels wrong because it is wrong.”
On the other side of the ideological divide, S.C. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Jordan Pace, R-Berkeley, echoed many of the same concerns.
“Being concerned about government becoming too intrusive is part of America’s DNA,” Pace said. “Remember, the first penny produced in this country said on the backside ‘Mind your business.’”
Still, Pace said, he’ll come into next year’s legislative session looking for ways to balance his civil liberties concerns with the right of private land owners to place cameras on their property and the legitimate needs of law enforcement.
“It’s a question of how do you regulate them to protect the citizens from government overreach,” he said. “It would be great if it was as simple as just banning them, but I don’t think it is.”
Real public safety benefits
In an August op-ed, S.C. Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Sally Foster acknowledged public concerns regarding ALPR abuse, while noting that the technology “has repeatedly proven its value in protecting victims, locating missing persons, solving crimes, and making our communities safer.”
“South Carolina’s sheriffs reject the false choice between protecting our communities and protecting the public’s trust,” Foster wrote for Bluffton Today. “We are dedicated to delivering modern, effective policing, but never at the expense of the constitutional rights and privacy you deserve.”
In a Nov. 9 interview, Sgt. Paiam Etminan and Cpl. Jason Peiffer of the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD) described how their department uses its ALPR system by Flock-competitior Rekor — and the protections it has in place to prevent abuse.
“We’re not monitoring it 24/7,” Etminan explained. “We only use the license plate readers when we get an alert or when we’re investigating a major incident that would require us to look for suspect vehicles.”
Of particular importance, he said, are the automatic notifications the system sends out when it picks up a plate involving a missing child, an elderly adult, or a wanted felon.
And in terms of preventing abuse, the officers pointed to several policies that enforce accountability, including requirements that officers include their names and the relevant case numbers any time they access the system, automatic data deletion after 90 days, and a log of all requests that commanders can review when questions arise.
What’s more, Peiffer noted, one of the reasons NCPD chose Rekor over Flock was its restricted access to nationwide data.
“It doesn’t have the ability to share with all the other agencies like Flock does,” Peiffer said. “So it eliminated the risk of a person being able to search a car throughout the entire United States. It keeps us inside of North Charleston, alone and segregated.”
Meanwhile at the S.C. Statehouse
Berkeley County Republican Sen. Brian Adams is a retired police officer who has used ALPRs and believes they make communities safer. He’s also one of the people who saw the current uproar coming, and introduced a regulatory bill in 2025 to try to get ahead of it.
“I was trying to tell everybody last year that we needed to put this in place,” Adams said. “Because if you don’t put it in place, people are going to abuse it, and before you know it, everybody’s going to want to get rid of it.”
Adams said he plans to refile his bill, which made it out of committee last session but not to the Senate floor.
Among the restrictions it would include, he said, are a 90-day data-retention limit, a ban on private ALPR operators selling the data they collect, automatic alerts for suspicious police searches and penalties for misuse.
“These are all things where we have to put a regulation on, keep the tool in place and make sure it’s used in a positive way for law enforcement,” Adams said.
Across the aisle, Charleston Democratic Sen. Ed Sutton lauded Adams’ efforts, but said he’ll push for additional restrictions when the bill is considered.
“I saw very similar systems in Afghanistan,” said Sutton, a combat veteran and a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve. “And they were basically developed to hunt people and ultimately kill them. So when I see similar technologies being deployed in U.S. cities, it raises the hair on the back of my neck a bit.”
In particular, he said, he worries about the ability of bad actors, including U.S. adversaries, to hack into national systems like Flock and track the movements of federal officials and everyday citizens alike.
“We know Flock camera logins have been for sale on the dark web,” Sutton said. “So international intelligence agencies don’t even have to employ human capital anymore when they can just compromise these systems. We’re doing their work for them.”
Asked what additional protections he’ll work to insert into the bill, Sutton mentioned warrant requirements except in emergency situations, a stipulation that local data must be stored locally and not in the cloud, strict limits on who can access the information and mandatory cybersecurity training for those operating the systems.
As for whether a bill with those sorts of provisions could actually pass next year, Sutton sounded optimistic.
“I think we can land the airplane,” he said.
Statehouse bureau chief Jack O’Toole contributed to this report. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com
Wilson seeks public input, names transition team
By Jack O’Toole, Statehouse bureau | Have a good idea for South Carolina. government? Or maybe a burning desire to serve on a state board or commission?
If so, Gov.-Elect Alan Wilson says he wants to know about it via his new transition website at wilson.sc.gov.
“We are building an administration that puts South Carolina families first, and I believe the people of this state should have a voice in that process,” Wilson said in a Nov. 12 release. “Whether you have an idea to make government more efficient, a solution to a challenge facing your community or a desire to serve, we want to hear from you.”
The launch of the new website, which includes a form for sharing ideas and a tool to upload resumes, follows Wilson’s closer-than-expected Nov. 3 victory over Democratic nominee Jermaine Johnson in the state’s first open governor’s race since 2010.
In other post-election news, Wilson also announced his transition staff this week, including executive director Whitney Michael, general counsel Thomas Hydrick, and communications director Claire Brady, all of whom served in Wilson’s attorney general’s office.
“This team brings the experience, dedication and work ethic needed to ensure a smooth transition and prepare my administration to hit the ground running on day one,” the governor-elect said.
Wilson is set to be sworn in as the state’s 118th governor on Jan. 13, following the historic 10-year tenure of Gov. Henry McMaster.
In other recent news
2026: Andrews, Scott agree to work together for South Carolina. U.S. Sen.-elect Annie Andrews met with both of the state’s current Republican senators this week, including the woman she defeated, and said she is looking to work with anyone “willing to put our state first.”
- Lt. Gov.-elect Reichenbach shares how foster care impacted priorities
- S.C. House recounts confirm Democratic flip, GOP hold
- Black voters turned out at near-presidential levels in S.C. midterms
- Meet the 10 Democrats who flipped Statehouse seats in S.C.
Haley says she won’t run in 2028 White House race. But the former governor and U.N. ambassador is expected to remain active in politics and public affairs.
S.C. lawmaker tells story of son’s death in sextortion scheme in new book. After S.C. Rep. Brandon Guffey’s son, Gavin, died by suicide following an online extortion scheme in 2022, Guffey didn’t know what to do next.
S.C. preservationists worry federal bill could make saving historic sites more difficult. Portions of a federal bill meant to speed up permitting could make saving South Carolina’s historic sites more difficult, state preservationists said ahead of an expected vote on the bill this week.
Murdaugh wants murder indictments dismissed, saying agent lied to grand jury. Attorneys for disbarred lawyer Alex Murdaugh are expected in court Friday to ask a judge to throw out the original murder indictments for killing his wife and son. Now they’re saying the chief investigator in the case lied to the grand jury.
Scout Motors’ S.C. factory is 85% complete. First test vehicles are rolling off the line. South Carolina-based electric vehicle maker Scout Motors has started its transition from building a factory to building vehicles, with plans to hire a few hundred more assembly line workers over the course of the next year.
S.C. among worst areas for flu activity, CDC says. Data from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention show South Carolina has the second highest activity level for flu in the nation right now.
Christmas tree arrives at Statehouse. A start of the holiday season is the arrival of the state Christmas tree at the Statehouse. Crews are erecting it to be ready for the Nov. 22 Governor’s Carolighting.
When we needed him
Award-winning cartoonist Robert Ariail has a special knack for shining a light on critical issues in just the right way. This week, he remembers the late Alex Sanders, the South Carolina leader who died in late October. Sanders served in the S.C. House and S.C. Senate before becoming the first chief judge of the S.C. Court of Appeals and then president of the College of Charleston.
- Love this week’s cartoon or hate it? Did he go too far, or not far enough? Send your thoughts to feedback@statehousereport.com.
Brack: Lacore reflects on what’s ahead in blue wave Congress
Commentary by Andy Brack | Newly-elected members of Congress have been in Washington all week for a crash course on what comes with being the new kid on the block.
What’s particularly vexing is balancing the nation’s pressing, urgent zeal for change, as evidenced by voters’ overwhelming repudiation of the often cruel Trump agenda, with the fact that new members won’t have any real power until Jan. 3, 2027. In other words, they’re caught until then between a blue wave (give us change) and a hard place (telling people to be patient). And that can be frustrating for the people who sweated while knocking on doors, answering phones and urging their neighbors to vote.
Retired Navy Adm. Nancy Lacore, the Mount Pleasant Democrat narrowly elected to fill the First Congressional District seat of outgoing U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., says she understands that conflict.
In a short interview during orientation, she said she reminds herself that change won’t come overnight.
“One election isn’t going to fix everything that’s broken in Washington,” she said. “This transition period is a critical time to begin thinking about who I can work with and how to solve the Lowcountry’s most pressing problems so I can hit the ground running when I get to Congress.
“I’ve been proactively meeting with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to discuss where we can work together to bring down costs back home as soon as the new Congress starts. I’ve started the process of setting up offices across the district so my team is as accessible as possible to everyone in every county in the First District. It will require patience and compromise, but nothing will get in the way of my mission of making life safer, easier and more affordable for the Lowcountry.”
Here are more excerpts of the discussion:
Statehouse Report: What are people saying about your victory? Are you learning anything from their reactions?
Lacore: “I’m hearing the same thing I heard at every stop along the campaign trail from Republicans, Democrats and independents alike: our people are tired of the political theater in Washington and excited at the prospect of a true servant leader who will actually fight for them, even when the fight gets tough.
“There is real hope coursing through South Carolina right now. I’ve spent months listening to families of all backgrounds about how they’ve been hurt by the corruption and political games that have made life harder at home, and now, how hopeful they are after this election that something may actually change for the better. Hearing that from the community I call home serves as powerful inspiration to keep showing up, leading by listening and to never abandon the mission to serve.
ShR: How do you define accountability – especially in light of how you were treated after 35 years of service in the Navy?
Lacore: “I learned in the Navy that accountable leadership means putting service above self-interest and answering transparently for decisions that affect the lives of the people we serve. That’s how I operated in the military, and how I will continue operating in Congress.
“I believe that it’s time to hold this administration responsible for its corruption and policies that have raised prices for our families, especially the war in Iran. We need clear answers about how the war is impacting our service members and what it is actually costing taxpayers.
“I didn’t enter this race because of one person. I ran to continue my selfless service to this country. That means pursuing the accountability necessary to take our service men and women out of harm’s way, end the corruption in Washington, and stop this war that’s made life more expensive for families at home.”
ShR: What’s the biggest takeaway for you, personally, from the election?
Lacore: “Over the course of my campaign, I heard from so many people who trusted me with their personal stories: the parent struggling to make ends meet, the young person who couldn’t afford to buy their first home, the senior worried about their health care, the family concerned about the future of the beautiful place we call home.
“Every single one of those stories, and the weight of the trust it took to share them with me, will come with me to Congress. And every single one will be a constant reminder of why I ran: to put the Lowcountry’s needs back at the center of the conversation in Washington.
ShR: What’s been the most fun AND what’s been the most challenging since the election?
Lacore: “After the election’s over, the round-the-clock work doesn’t stop. Now is when members-elect begin the process of setting up the infrastructure we need to actually deliver on the promises we made on the campaign trail.
“It’s been a challenging undertaking to learn about all the rules and norms that come along with being a member of Congress, but rewarding to finally have the capacity to completely shift my thinking from campaigning to delivering on my camping promises. Running for Congress was never about me. I’m a problem-solver and I will fully commit myself to doing just that. I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to be the Lowcountry’s voice for change in Congress.”
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report and the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Cobb-Hunter: What the blue tsunami can mean to S.C.’s future
By S.C. Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, special to Statehouse Report | Those who think of the so-called blue tsunami election of Nov. 3, 2026, occurred in a vacuum undervalue the enormity of this extraordinary accomplishment.
Let’s not repeat mistakes of the past. The tsunami must be viewed as a symptom of a much larger condition that came to fruition as the collective realization of a common ailment: voices not being listened to and voices not being heard.
The solution in this election manifested itself in a resounding repudiation of the direction in which this country is heading. It begs the question: what took so long? And with that, if we do not use this as a teachable moment, we will have wasted an excellent opportunity. Our response must be: “So what, now what?” We must hit the ground running and move forward with strategies that duplicate what brought us to this point. The presidential election of 2028 began on Nov. 4, 2026.
What happened this year was no Democratic Party coalition, but a Diverse Collaborative Coalition that came together because of shared pain and suffering directed toward a common goal: We need deliverance from ignorance. Now, our charge is to not only hold on to this coalition, but to make it flexible enough to adjust to ever-evolving sociopolitical landscapes. We do this by developing leadership models designed to meet the needs of all involved. As the smoke clears and dust settles, we see the same so-called “leaders” coming out of the woodwork to claim credit for all that occurred.
Leadership is not being in the “right” place at the “right” time and then swooping in to claim ownership of “false profits.” We have all seen these prophets who appear before the cameras after the work is done. They claim the fruit of others’ labor without having sown the seeds that now must be harvested. All in the name of leadership.
Leadership is not raising millions of dollars, lining your own pockets and then losing by double-digit margins. Leadership is not longevity in the guise of seniority designed to extend political familial generational position and power. Leadership is not doing the same thing again, the same way and expecting different outcomes. (Some refer to this as insanity!)
We are not suggesting the Democratic Party did not play a role in this current shakeup, but others made just as significant – and in some instances – more substantive contributions to the success of this great accomplishment. We could have done even better had the current leadership listened to voices other than their own.
A fresh leadership model may be needed to take advantage of the current Diverse Collaborative Coalition framework that fueled this tsunami.
The underpinnings of this model were already in place and in the form of the countless number of unsung heroes who do much of the heavy lifting. Herein lies the basis for this new leadership model: power generated from below. We harnessed that energy and directed it into campaigns that focused on candidates worthy of support.
Let us be clear: we are not only talking about financial resources. More than anything else, this election cycle underscored the notion that money is not the only factor that drives outcomes. Can you say Elon Musk?! It is not how much money you spend, but it is how, when and where you spend the money.
Expanding a Diverse Collaborative Coalition embraces a more holistic approach that frames the electoral process within the context of broadening the voter universe. The end game is to produce a more informed electorate.
In this last election cycle, the collaborative effort in conjunction with the Democratic Party, coupled with a more informed electorate could have been more successful. Quality candidates matter. The candidacies of Jermaine Johnson in the governor’s race and Sylvia Wright in the state superintendent of education’s race, energized the electorate among down-ballot races. The strength of these candidacies increased base voter participation by historic percentages. How many additional seats could have been flipped if more resources had been directed toward those “other” races?
If we do not build on this moment, we will have committed a gross injustice. If this occurs, the so-called blue tsunami will be reduced to just another wave that crested and returned to the vast ocean of political history.
Quality of life in a (small “d”) democratic and diverse society demands that we come together both because of and in spite of our differences. Coming together means working together.
S.C. Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, has served in a variety of leadership positions in the S.C. House of Representatives since being first elected in 1992.
Pointy tip
Here’s an odd-looking structure with a pointy tip that’s somewhere in South Carolina. Please send in your best guess of where this is – and your name and hometown – to feedback@statehousereport.com. Bonus points: What is it? And if you have a mystery photo to share, send that along too (but tell us what it is because we’re horrible guessers.)
Last week’s mystery, “Renovation,” showed Darrah Hall at the Penn Center campus on St. Helena Island. As sleuth Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas, related, the 1900s-era building “stands as one of the oldest remaining structures on the campus, which was one of the country’s very first schools dedicated to educating freed enslaved people.”
Why is it relevant this week? The annual Penn Center Heritage Days event started Friday and lasts through Nov. 14 as a celebration of Gullah Geechee culture, music, craft and history.
Congrats also to others who identified the hall: Jay Altman of Columbia; Bill Segars and Michael Webb of Hartsville; and George Graf of Palmyra, Va.
- SHARE: If you have a Mystery Photo to share, please send it to us – and make sure you tell us what it is!
Send us your thoughts
Please send us your thoughts about politics and policy in South Carolina, but make sure to leave phone numbers and hometowns to help us verify them for publication. We publish non-defamatory comments, but unless you provide your contact information – name and hometown, plus a phone number used only by us for verification – we can’t publish your views.
- Have a comment? Send your letters or comments to: feedback@statehousereport.com. Make sure to provide your contact details (name, hometown and phone number for verification. Letters are limited to 150 words.
Statehouse Report, founded in 2001 as a weekly legislative forecast that informs readers about what is going to happen in South Carolina politics and policy, is provided by email to you at no charge every Friday.
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- Statehouse bureau chief: Jack O’Toole
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