SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Spartanburg County Council has put the first set of local rules on automatic license plate readers, such as Flock cameras, before the public, voting unanimously to move forward an ordinance aimed at officers who abuse the systems.
Under the proposal, a law enforcement officer found to have misused a Flock camera or any other plate reader would face a $500 fine for every violation. County leaders said that is the most a county can legally charge. Councilmember Monier Abusaft said lawyers told members the county cannot make misuse a crime until state lawmakers do, and he urged residents to press their legislators when the General Assembly returns in January.
County Administrator Cole Alverson said the systems may only be used for genuine law enforcement work. Sheriff Bill Rhyne went further, telling the council that any deputy caught misusing the cameras will be fired.
The sheriff’s office owns only two plate reader cameras. The rest in the county belong to private property owners, and deputies can tap into them with permission.
The measure took shape in the council’s Public Safety and Judiciary Committee, chaired by Abusaft, where a September agenda listed an ordinance spelling out who may use plate reader systems, how the data can be used and what penalty applies. It still needs two more readings, and some residents have asked for tighter limits on how long data is kept.
Section: More Spartanburg SC politics news
Filed under: Spartanburg SC Politics News
