One town in Northern Virginia recently voted to immediately remove all of its Flock cameras. Now, Virginia lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are considering a statewide ban.
In a 4-to-2 vote on Tuesday, the Dumfries Town Council voted to stop use of the automated license plate readers, or LPRs, immediately. The decision comes as people across the country voice concerns about misuse of the AI cameras and the data they collect on anyone who drives past.
Virginia state Sen. Lashrecse Aird, a Democrat representing Petersburg, told News4 she’s filed an initial draft of a bill that would ban automated license plate readers statewide.
“Essentially, Virginians are paying, their hard-earned taxpayer dollars are going towards being surveilled and that’s inexcusable,” Aird said.
News4 reached out to Flock Safety for a response, but has not yet heard back.
However, a spokesperson for Flock Safety gave this statement to News4 earlier this week in response to concerns about the cameras in Arlington: “We support thoughtful legislation and strong privacy, transparency, and accountability guardrails that ensure technology is used responsibly while preserving law enforcement’s ability to keep communities safe.”
In Arlington, one woman has made it her mission to document where Flock cameras are located and raise concerns about how the technology is being used. News4’s Mauricio Casillas reports.
Republican state Sen. Glen Sturtevant said those guardrails don’t go far enough.
“It’s high time that we get these things out of Virginia altogether. I don’t want a better regulated surveillance network. I don’t want a surveillance network period,” said Sturtevant, who represents Chesterfield County.
A group called DeFlock tracks data on the cameras. It reported there are nearly 140,000 automated license plate readers operating in the U.S. DeFlock said 82% are Flock cameras.
Virginia has the 19th-most cameras in the country at just more than 2,700, according to DeFlock.
This week, the Florida Department of Transportation revoked permits for license plate readers, such as Flock cameras, within the right-of-way of roads on state highways, citing an increase in reports of misuse of the systems.
“Where is this data going? How much data is the company doing? They claim that the companies aren’t going to misuse it but no one’s watching that,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
The Fairfax County Police Department publicly shares some data on its use of Flock.
Over a 30-day period from July 8 to Aug. 7, Fairfax County officers conducted nearly 9,000 searches on Flock, which is about 295 searches each day. The majority of the searches, the department said, were searches for wanted persons with active arrest warrants.
Fairfax County police said LPR technology has assisted in nearly 900 arrests and helped locate 57 missing persons since November 2022.
“I think we need to take a really hard look at what and how we regulate those in the Commonwealth of Virginia and whether we need them at all,” said Virginia state Sen. Russet Perry, a Democrat representing Loudoun and Fauquier counties.
When asked if she would support a ban on the cameras, Perry said, “I guess what I’ll say is … the answer is maybe.”
License plate readers are mostly used by law enforcement, but there are Flock cameras owned and used by homeowners associations and businesses. Aird said the proposed ban on the cameras would apply to every device, including those not used by law enforcement.
