Merrick would keep ALPRs with a seven-day retention limit
Tim MerrickDemocratic candidate for North Carolina House District 20
North Carolina House candidate Tim Merrick said license-plate readers can help police, but he supports reducing the state's data-retention limit from 90 days to seven days, with exceptions for specific investigations and stronger access controls.
“License plate readers can be a valuable law-enforcement tool”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
Networked automated license-plate readers record passing vehicles and let agencies search or share travel records across locations. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to prohibit these networks, keep them with legal limits, or defend their use for investigations. This tracker records attributable positions on that choice, including proposals that would affect only public funding or data access.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
Merrick's written answer appears in a Port City Daily candidate questionnaire linked from the paper's September 23, 2026, election roundup.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Port City Daily's September 23 election roundup linked a questionnaire asking legislative candidates whether North Carolina should reduce the storage period for Flock camera data.
After the quotation
Merrick supported a seven-day limit, with longer preservation for specific criminal or missing-person investigations or pursuant to a warrant.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Merrick accepts the cameras as an investigative tool while conditioning their use on shorter retention and stronger controls over access, sharing and searches.
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More from this case
Read the full caseJacob Burnett says Flock-style cameras should be done away with, with warrants required if they stay
“The systems themselves can be modified to prevent nearly all abuse and be made more secure by requiring warrants for access or follow through on any data the systems collect and have all data stored on the hardware itself preventing viewing from remote locations, requiring strict login credentials and a connecting warrant number to access. These are common sense changes that if the systems are to be used I feel could correct a lot of abuse or privacy concerns but I also feel the systems should be done away with overall, especially in the realm of predictive crime analytics.”Read statement
Dean Brewer, an independent candidate for Tennessee governor, says Flock cameras should be banned
“I believe flock cameras should be banned.”Read statement
Buddy Carter says license plate cameras help investigators but need privacy safeguards
“Technologies like license plate recognition cameras can provide valuable investigative tools, but they have also raised important questions about privacy and government oversight. As these systems become more common, it is important to balance public safety with appropriate safeguards that protect individual privacy.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Merrick would keep ALPRs with a seven-day retention limit". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3027-north-carolina-house-candidate-tim-merrick-said-license