Opinion

Read what Chief Myhand says about the city's new Main Street surveillance cameras

Chief Blair Myhand

By Lightning Reports, Published: September 13, 2025

The city of Hendersonville has installed surveillance cameras downtown. Police Chief Blair Myhand is owning the decision and he makes a 421-word explanation and defense of the cameras in his latest monthly update.

The Hendersonville Police Department Public Monthly Report is on line and available for all to read. (Our favorite feature is the Top 5 Crash Locations. August losers were King St at E Allen St (6 crashes), Chimney Rock Rd at Francis Rd/Sugarloaf Rd (6), Four Seasons Blvd at Dana Rd/Duncan Hill Rd (5), 5th Ave E. at Grove St (2), Spartanburg Hwy at Chadwick Ave, 2) 

Before the chief's newsletter, we were unaware that there was chatter during the Apple Festival of a "crime" that would have been scary had it been true.

"Do you remember the recent allegation that a child in a stroller was abducted at the Apple Festival?" the chief writes. "As we looked at the video to identify a suspect, we unsuspectingly found that the crime never even happened. We then traced backwards through video, and it was clear that no person attempted to 'abduct' the child. Multiple cameras recorded the entire incident from multiple angles and with exceptional clarity. Gone are the days of grainy surveillance videos. Today, we record in high definition, eliminating questions about details."

Here is Myhand's column on the cameras, in its entirety:

Technology: the descendant of necessity. For the last few years, we have been researching new technologies to help make us more efficient. To that end, we recently installed cameras throughout historic downtown. At this very moment, those cameras are recording, capturing video we can retrieve later when needed.  

If you are concerned, you don’t need to be. There is no facial recognition aspect to the cameras. We don’t receive alerts about people based on what they look like. We can, however, search for specific details when investigating a case. We might search for a white male wearing a red shirt and black pants for example. The cameras will quickly return all matching videos, saving a tremendous about of time. 

Just one month ago, we would have spent hours interviewing witnesses (about the Apple Festival "abduction"), collecting cellphone videos, searching for the truth. Now, we can more quickly solve cases and dispel the community’s fear of crime from the unknown. Our policies highly restrict the use of video to legitimate law enforcement purposes only. Videos are never used for personal reasons or individual interests. We audit ourselves regularly.  

For decades, you have entrusted us with protecting your personal information. We have always been privileged to sensitive information within the limits of our work. We have for years captured every police/public encounter on officer-worn cameras. Officer-worn cameras capture close video and audio as compared to the distant, video-only, downtown cameras. Fixed camera technology is simply another tool in our toolbox to help make our community safer.  

We take protecting your privacy seriously and we are committed to the judicious use of camera technology. We too, as Americans, are sensitive to the concerns of government and privacy. We never want any technology that makes you feel less safe or that might compromise your privacy. We promise to research and only use technology that enhances our ability to keep Hendersonville safe. It is important for us that you know what tools we use and that you understand their purpose.