Asheville expands real-time surveillance with $1.14 million grant

A Flock camera near UNC Asheville’s campus on Founders Drive now marks how far Asheville’s surveillance network has spread, as City Council approved a $1.14 million federal grant in May to build a Real-Time Intelligence Center inside police headquarters. The plan shifts the city from scattered cameras to a system built around live feeds, faster access and broader real-time monitoring.

WLOS said the center is expected to pull cameras, license plate readers, body cameras, car cameras, drones and other technology into one hub. Asheville police have said the goal is to help officers see what is happening before they arrive and to solve violent crimes more quickly, especially during active calls and investigations.

The city is not starting from zero. Search results show Asheville already had Flock automated license-plate readers in use before the May vote, and one local count put 11 Flock cameras within Asheville city limits. A Mountain Xpress letter said the readers had been operating in Asheville for some time and were photographing every car that drove by, a reminder that the technology is already part of daily life from downtown to roads near UNC Asheville and WT Weaver Boulevard.

The guardrails sit mostly in department policy. Asheville Police Department Policy 505 on Automated License Plate Recognition, last revised May 5, 2026, includes sections on system use, hot lists, data security and access, data storage and retention, and administrative responsibilities. One local description of the current Flock setup said searches are limited to investigations involving kidnapping, homicide, carjacking, armed robbery, stolen vehicles, Amber Alerts and Silver Alerts.

The vote came after months of public concern. Blue Ridge Public Radio reported Asheville had delayed action on surveillance funding before Council moved ahead on Tuesday, May 12. Firestorm Books endorsed the Sunshine Over Surveillance open letter on May 10, urging Council to vote no on the federal grant and on a separate 7.5-year contract with Axon. Asheville Watchdog also pressed the city to be more transparent about the proposal.

The debate now extends beyond Asheville city limits. As western North Carolina communities weigh license-plate readers and other police technology, Buncombe County and Asheville have already moved deeper into a model built on shared camera feeds, faster searches and broader data access, with the real costs measured not only in dollars but in how public space is watched.