Henrico County: 120 Flock Cameras Removed

Crews in Henrico, Virginia, removed 120 Flock cameras on Saturday. County Manager John Vithoulkas confirmed the number as workers dismantled the automatic license plate reader units. The hardware had been in place for several years before the county decided to exit the arrangement.

The timeline for the removal began in early October. On Oct. 6, the Henrico County posted on social media that police had cut ties with the Flock system by mid-October. Officials stated the decision came after discussions with other leaders. They weighed the benefits of the technology against resident concerns regarding privacy and data access.

The county ended its use of the cameras last month due to these privacy concerns. The contract stipulated that Flock would remove the equipment within two weeks of the agreement ending. That deadline passed without action. Flock failed to meet its contractual obligation to take down the units, prompting the county to intervene directly.

County officials noted that the poles supporting the cameras remain in place. Those poles are Flock's responsibility to remove. Leaders described the move as preventative rather than corrective. They said there was no evidence that Henrico police misused the system during the period it was active.

Rev. Roscoe D. Cooper III, chairman of the Henrico Board of Supervisors, addressed the timing of the decision. He noted that the board was aware of conversations happening at both the national and state levels. Cooper stated, “Rather be proactive than reactive. And we’re aware of the conversations that are occurring nationally, as well as on the state level. And we just, again, felt that this was the right time to make this decision.”

The removal process is complete for the camera units. The technology continues to draw public criticism over privacy and potential misuse. The county has ended its use of the system and is now managing the physical cleanup of the site.