Henrico County Crews Takedown 120 Flock Cameras
County staff dismantled the automatic license plate readers Saturday after the vendor missed its deadline to remove the equipment.
By Chloe Martin ·
Henrico County ended its relationship with Flock cameras this week, citing privacy issues.
County crews removed more than 120 Flock cameras from the Henrico, Va., area on Saturday. County Manager John Vithoulkas confirmed the removals, which were completed over the weekend.
The county stopped using the cameras in late October. Flock had a contractual obligation to remove the hardware within two weeks of the contract ending. That deadline passed without the company acting, so county staff handled the takedown themselves.
Officials noted that the poles supporting the cameras remain in place. Flock is responsible for removing those structures.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Rev. Roscoe D. Cooper III explained the timing in a post on Oct. 6. He said the decision followed conversations with residents, police, and experts about data access and privacy.
“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,” Cooper said.
Leaders described the move as preventative. They stated there was no evidence that Henrico police misused the system.
Source: WDRB
