Houston police searched a law enforcement network that includes UNC Charlotte’s license-plate cameras more than 183,000 times from March through May 2026, according to university records. The figure was the highest among agencies accessing the network during that period. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police ranked 30th in the number of searches that included the university’s network. UNC Charlotte Police ranked 1,491st, with 229 searches over the three months. The campus Flock cameras capture license plate numbers as vehicles pass. Those records enter a nationwide database that participating law enforcement agencies can search. UNC Charlotte says its cameras may be included when an agency searches the shared network for a particular plate; if the plate was recorded, the system returns the location, date and time of the detection. Houston officers’ searches often covered more than 6,000 networks across the country, university records show. In a statement, the Houston Police Department said its use of automated license-plate recognition systems is regularly reviewed and that it had identified usage “being investigated further.” The figures raised questions among students about why police hundreds of miles away were searching a network that includes campus cameras. “Houston, Texas?!? Wow. OK. Interesting!!” said Verity Morgan, a student who recently hosted a campus debate on Flock cameras. Radhika Chaudha questioned what privacy protections people have when their movements can be recorded and searched. Student Peyton Marshall also said the distant access felt “creepy.” Mark Williams, a Wilmington attorney who tracks Flock camera use in North Carolina, said the network enables broad government surveillance. He said North Carolina law restricts the sale of license-plate data, but agencies in other states may operate under different rules. That leaves UNC Charlotte with limited control over how other agencies use information returned through the shared system. UNC Charlotte said it does not provide network access to private businesses or homeowners’ associations. It said campus police have used the technology in investigations, including a case involving more than $100,000 in equipment stolen from an on-campus construction site. The university said officers must enter a specific case number for each search and that the system is reviewed regularly. The university has not accused any agency of misusing its network. North Carolina does not require departments to report misuse of Flock systems, and past cases have become public through arrests or voluntary disclosures. UNC Charlotte is not required to share its network with other law enforcement agencies. Appalachian State University has ended national sharing, and UNC-Chapel Hill made the same decision the week before the records were reported. Those choices leave UNC Charlotte with the option of limiting outside access as concerns grow over who can search the data and what rules govern its use.