Pittsboro elected officials voted on Monday to end the town’s contract with Flock Safety, following months-long backlash from residents about privacy concerns related to the license-plate cameras.
The town’s Board of Commissioners each shared their respective stances on May 11 about the security company and its camera system, of which there are nine within Pittsboro town limits.
Commissioner John Bonitz said he shares the community’s skepticism about Flock Safety after being outspoken about a town partnership with the company since 2023. He stated how, despite recent town reassurances about data deletion, he thinks Pittsboro does not have a reliable way to know if it is violating the contract. Ultimately, the three-term commissioner warned against local governments sourcing surveillance infrastructure to a fast-growing private company with a business model that depends on expanding its scale and reach.
“Public safety really matters,” Bontiz said. “And I believe it must be balanced against privacy, property rights, local accountability, and the presumption that citizens are free unless there is individualized suspicion. Governments should not monitor innocent citizens by default.”
A 4-1 vote rejected Mayor Kyle Shipp’s recommendation to continue usage of existing Flock cameras through the end of the current contract ending in January 2027. If passed, the motion would have prohibited the addition of any cameras or expanded data sharing without board approval. It also would have required a board update in August regarding usage and data, and a November board decision about whether to renew, modify, or discontinue the contract before the end date.
Although noting the current contract’s “ambiguous” language, Shipp explained his belief that the technology is a valuable tool for local police to help solve crimes related to motor-vehicles and missing persons. J.A. Farrell was the only board member to share the sentiment.
“I’m asking you to support Chief [Shorty] Johnson and the Pittsboro Police Department to continue their work until it is time to revisit this contract, review it, revise it, and rewrite it,” Farrell said.
Commissioner John Foley called the contract’s vagueness about data retention an “alarm bell,” particularly amid a time he described as “patriotically vigilant” when it comes to constitutional violations. Board Member Tiana Thurber added how residents have been “loud and clear” about their problems with Flock, with the public comment portion at recent meetings dominated by residents speaking out against the technology.
Some of the signs posted in Pittsboro by advocates in Feb. 2026 against the town’s contracted partnership with Flock Safety. (Photo by Henry Taylor/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
While campaigning for her commissioners seat last year, Candace Hunziker shared how she held regular community meetings with Pittsboro residents, and Flock cameras were consistently a topic for discussion.
“Ultimately, I was elected to represent the people of Pittsboro,” Hunziker said. “And I believe the overwhelming sentiment from our residents is the potential abuse, loss of privacy, and lack of meaningful guardrails outweigh the benefits that these cameras provide. And for those reasons, I support removing the Flock cameras immediately.”
She acknowledged how public distrust extends beyond Pittsboro. On the local level, she shared how Chatham County moved to end its contract with Flock. On the national level, she shared how concerns surrounding automated license plate reader technology are bipartisan, with municipalities ending contracts with Flock over a lack of privacy protections.
“I struggled with this decision,” Hunziker continued. “I never want to do anything that negatively impacts public safety or our police department’s ability to do their job. But our police department has done an incredible job at protecting this town, its people, and their property long before Flock cameras existed. And with the addition of the new officers sworn in tonight, I trust our police department’s ability to continue protecting this town without this technology.”
Ultimately, Hunziker brought her own motion to terminate the town’s contract with Flock Safety and not include any funding for the cameras in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget. She set the date of July 1, 2026 as a deadline for the cameras to be removed by Flock, which was approved by the board 4-1. Farrell was the lone vote against.
The group “PittsboroCameras.org” was a vocal opponent of Pittsboro’s Flock system and played a role in drawing public attention to the town’s use of the security company. In a statement provided to Chapelboro, group member and Pittsboro resident Bradley Pearce said he is thankful the board ultimately voted against continuing to use Flock.
“We’re grateful to the commissioners who listened carefully to those concerns and recognized that Pittsboro should not build a system capable of tracking the everyday movements of ordinary people,” Pearce said. “Public safety matters, but it must never come at the cost of treating an entire community as a pool of data to be collected first and justified later.”
“This decision shows that public engagement matters,” he added. “The residents paid attention, asked hard questions, and made clear that Pittsboro should choose trust, transparency, and community over a dystopian future.”
Proposed Budget: No Tax Increases and Staff Raises
Monday’s monthly board meeting also saw the commissioners receive the town staff’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27.
Assistant Town Manager and Finance Director Heather Meachum presented the staff’s proposed $13.8 million budget before the board held a public hearing. Aiming to align Pittsboro’s available resources with its highest priority issues, the recommended budget features no tax increase and retains the town’s current fund balance. It also includes a cost of living adjustment and retirement increases for staff and an increase in major medical expenses. The proposal allocates funding for several new positions for the town government: an assistant project manager, a development services division manager, either a level 3 planner or a senior planner, and a downtown marketing operations coordinator.
Communications Director Caitlin Murphy also shared the results from a community survey about what residents want to see prioritized in the upcoming budget. While Commissioner Hunziker said she believes it did not garner enough responses to get a “pulse” on the thoughts of the full community, Murphy said repeated concerns were related to growth and infrastructure, walkability and connectivity, parks expansion, and environmental protection.
“We all know that Pittsboro is a special place… Residents love Pittsboro, and because of that, are increasingly concerned about how it’s changing,” Murphy said. “It’s a clear call for thoughtful growth management, investments in quality of life infrastructure, and careful consideration to environmental stewardship.”
The Pittsboro Board of Commissioners will aim to adopt its budget for FY27 at its next meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, June 8. To watch the full Board of Commissioners meeting from Monday, click here.
Editor’s Note: Emma Cooke and Brighton McConnell also contributed reporting to this story.
Featured photo by Henry Taylor/Chapel Hill Media Group.
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