Police Chief Jason Winn shared department updates, answered questions and listened to concerns about license plate reader cameras Thursday evening at the 2025 Police Summit.

About a dozen community members attended the presentation at the Town Hall Annex, which included information from additional staff.

“We are always grateful to be able to share the great work our police department does with the community,” Winn said. “The Police Summit allows everyone to talk together, ask and answer questions, and get to know the real issues and concerns Hillsborough residents are facing. We look forward to meeting again with everyone next year!”

Accreditation

Management and Accreditation Coordinator Marshall Grayson shared that the Police Department had completed a risk review process through the North Carolina League of Municipalities and is working on achieving law enforcement accreditation through the state. The accreditation involves a lot of work and more than 100 standards and proofs. Proofs are submitted each year, and the full accreditation process is renewed every three years.

Organization and Updates

The police chief noted he had recently restructured the department to create more opportunities for career growth and to better balance the number of direct reports. The town has 31 full-time sworn positions, with 29 filled. The department also has three non-sworn positions and one part-time position.

Winn explained how the town staffs patrols and how those patrols are monitored to ensure that all areas of town are part of the patrol routes. He also highlighted some ways officers engage with the community, including special events and walking the Riverwalk greenway or downtown sidewalks. 

The chief noted the town’s one canine officer, Jett, is nearing retirement and the department will be looking to acquire at least one replacement. 

Winn shared that the Criminal Investigation Division recently updated the property and evidence room and is now working to obtain an evidence-drying cabinet. The division also has a new narcotics investigative position as part of the restructuring.

The chief also noted that the department is in the process of installing license plate reader cameras to help improve public safety and to enhance the department’s investigative capabilities. The department has contracted with Flock Safety for two years for the installation and operation of 10 cameras. The cameras focus on a vehicle’s fingerprint, or distinguishing features, and will join about 40 license plate reader cameras already in use by other entities in Orange County. More information about the cameras can be found in a news release published earlier this week.

Social Worker

The department’s diversion social worker, Yazmin Washington, shared that she sometimes accompanies police officers to calls when there is a known mental health component. She also works to connect unhoused people in Hillsborough with services. She is working on a new project to provide a community closet. More information about this project will be shared soon.

Accountability

The police chief explained that the department tracks and reviews uses of force, pursuit incidents and complaints. He said in 2024, 70 internal reviews were conducted out of over 11,000 police actions.

In those reviews, the following were identified:

• 14 preventative displays of a weapon — review occurs when an officer draws his or her weapon in the public's view
• 15 minor uses of force — such as pulling arms behind a person's back to place handcuffs
• 6 refusals to stop — this includes a review of an officer’s decision not to pursue a driver because of the risk a vehicle chase poses to public safety
• 5 complaints — includes complaints that an officer was rude or charged the wrong person
• 4 internal reviews — covers when someone internally thinks a policy may have been violated
• 1 pursuit
• 14 personal early warning system (PEWS) — reviewed to identify possible patterns of behavior that may be of concern

Questions

Winn was asked what the department’s biggest challenge is. He answered reaching the most people.

He was also asked several questions about the license plate readers that will be installed soon. Winn said that the department will not grant access to Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other federal agencies seeking to use the data. He explained that the cameras will be located on private property because the North Carolina Department of Transportation does not allow their installation in its road rights of way. He said the Police Department will own the data that the cameras collect. Winn also explained that he will have more answers to questions once the cameras are installed and the Criminal Investigations Division has access to the software. He added that use of the license plate readers will be reviewed after one year.

Transparency Reports

The chief reminded the audience that the Hillsborough Police Department produces quarterly transparency reports and an annual report that are posted on the Police Department webpage. The license plate reader company, Flock Safety, provides daily updates about the Police Department’s use of license plate reader cameras through a transparency portal. The link for the portal is also available on the Police Department webpage.