- Title
- Henderson County Sheriff · Republican · office bio
- In this role since
- December 2018 (defeated incumbent Charlie McDonald in the 2018 primary; unopposed 2022)
- Current term ends
- December 2026
- Next voter decision
- Nov 3, 2026: filed for a third term December 3, 2025 and appears unopposed (Hendersonville Lightning) · Election 2026
Surveillance record
Griffin’s office bought 12 to 13 Flock plate readers in 2025 for $44,150 with no commission vote, and has defended them in two interviews with the Hendersonville Lightning, Aug 10 and Aug 18, 2026 (Henderson County):
- “The Flock cameras currently deployed throughout our county capture a single point-in-time image… do not provide live video surveillance, do not perform facial recognition, and do not track individuals.” “Flock data is automatically deleted after 30 days. The sheriff’s office owns its data and controls who it is shared with.” “Every search… requires documented law enforcement justification.” (Hendersonville Lightning, Aug 18, 2026)
- “There’s a lesser expectation of privacy on a public road than in a private home.” “I think what you’re going to find is most of your middle-of-the-road common-sense people… really aren’t worried about it.” Cost cited at about $3,000 per camera per year; results claimed: 31 arrests and 23 stolen-vehicle recoveries. (Hendersonville Lightning, Aug 10, 2026)
His office’s transparency portal, read August 22, 2026, lists 2,048 organizations granted access to Henderson County’s reads, including the FBI, the US Postal Inspection Service, an Air Force base, five state police forces, and every sheriff’s office in Western North Carolina (Henderson County).
No commission vote has ever been taken on the cameras; Chair Bill Lapsley has signaled none may be.
ICE
Griffin runs the only 287(g) agreement in Western North Carolina, a Jail Enforcement Model MOA signed June 9, 2020 (ICE list, Aug 21, 2026). He has described the agreement the same way since 2019: “The only authority we have is inside the detention facility, the jail.” “If you don’t go to jail, we have no standing on this issue.” (WLOS, Dec 10, 2019) In 2025 he said he would cooperate with ICE whether or not the legislature’s HB 318 passed (WLOS). The portal lists “immigration enforcement” as a prohibited use of the plate data. The portal does not say whether any federal agency on the access list has run a search (What the Law Lets the County Do).
What is pending with him
Which of the 2,048 agencies on his sharing list has searched Henderson County’s reads, how often, and why? The audit log exists; state law requires an annual audit report (G.S. 20-183.31(a)(7)).
Region: Henderson County · Last verified: September 8, 2026