120 Flock cameras removed from Henrico County streets

Henrico County workers took down more than 120 automatic license plate reader cameras on Saturday. County Manager John Vithoulkas confirmed the removal of the Flock devices, which had been installed on poles throughout the community.

The county ended its relationship with Flock last month due to privacy concerns. Officials stated that the contract required the vendor to remove the cameras within two weeks of termination. Because Flock did not meet that deadline, the county hired its own crews to dismantle the equipment. The poles supporting the cameras remain in place, a task the county noted is still the responsibility of Flock.

Henrico police stopped using the system by mid-October. In a social media post dated October 6, the county explained that the decision came after discussions with other leaders, residents, and experts regarding data access and privacy. Local supervisors characterized the move as a preventative measure, noting that there was no evidence of police misuse of the technology.

Rev. Roscoe D. Cooper III, chairman of the Henrico Board of Supervisors, defended the timing of the decision. "Rather be proactive than reactive," Cooper said. He added that the board was aware of national and state-level conversations about the technology and felt it was the right time to act.

The removal concludes the county's use of the Flock cameras. While the hardware is off the poles, the infrastructure remains until Flock completes its remaining contractual duties.