Henrico County removes 120 Flock cameras

Henrico County crews dismantled more than 120 Flock cameras on Saturday in Henrico, Virginia. The manual removal followed the company's failure to complete the work by its contractual deadline.

County Manager John Vithoulkas confirmed the physical count of the devices taken down over the weekend. The county had terminated its use of the automatic license plate reader technology in October. Officials stated the cameras were scheduled for removal within two weeks of the contract's end. That timeline lapsed, forcing the local government to handle the teardown itself.

The poles supporting the cameras remain in place. County leaders identified Flock as responsible for removing those structures. The decision to cut ties with the vendor occurred in mid-October. This followed discussions with police, residents, and technical experts regarding data access and privacy.

Henrico Board of Supervisors Chairman Rev. Roscoe D. Cooper III described the action as preventative. He noted the board monitored national and state-level conversations about the technology. 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.”

Police stopped using the system after reviewing its benefits and drawbacks. County leaders said there was no evidence of misuse by Henrico police during the period of operation. The vendor's contract required the company to remove the equipment after the agreement ended. The county's direct intervention addresses the outstanding obligation from the private technology provider.