- Title
- Chief of Police, City of Brevard (the city’s first woman chief; previously a captain at Apex PD; 25 years in law enforcement) (City of Brevard · WLOS)
- In this role since
- 2025 to 2026 (exact start date varies across reports)
Surveillance record
In March 2026 Wentzell proposed 6 Flock cameras at $46,000 over three years, telling the council’s Public Safety Committee they “would be the extra eyes we don’t have” and a “great investigative tool” for an understaffed department (Transylvania Times). By July the proposal had become an Axon package: three plate readers “at no charge” inside an ~$80,000 five-year bundle with tasers, body cameras, and monthly data-storage fees (Transylvania County · What Axon Contracts Do). Her department’s published policy manual has three documents and no plate-reader policy.
On Sept 8, 2026, at the start of the council meeting, she withdrew the request for the three plate readers: “We asked for the community’s voice and they gave it to us.” On the recording: “my belief in the value of the technology has not changed. But what has changed is my belief in that this is the right time for Brevard to move forward with it”; “We will continue moving forward with the tasers and the bodyworn cameras, but not the ALPR portion”; and “If Brevard Police Department was ever to consider ALPR technology again, it would require significant budget requests that would come before council” (city recording, 0:06:26 to 0:09:44). No vote was taken on the cameras; the taser and body-camera purchase remains pending (Transylvania Times, Sept 8).
The question for her
Did she ask for the bundle, or did procurement grow the scope past what she requested? And which agencies would be able to search Brevard’s reads?