Henrico County rips out 120 Flock cameras after contractor misses deadline

Henrico County crews removed all 120 Flock cameras on Saturday. The county took down the equipment itself after the company missed its deadline to clear the poles. County Manager John Vithoulkas confirmed the removal of the units. He noted that Flock failed to fulfill its contractual obligation to dismantle the hardware.

The county stopped using the automatic license plate reader technology last month. Officials cited privacy concerns as the primary reason for ending the program. The contract was set to conclude in early October. Flock was required to remove the cameras within two weeks of that date. That two-week window closed with the devices still mounted on poles across the county.

In a social media post dated October 6, Henrico County announced that police had cut ties with the system by mid-October. The decision followed discussions with other leaders, police officers, and experts. These groups weighed the benefits of the technology against privacy and data access risks. The county described the move as a preventative measure rather than a reaction to a specific incident.

Leaders stated there was no evidence that Henrico police misused the system. Rev. Roscoe D. Cooper III, chairman of the Henrico Board of Supervisors, explained the timing of the decision. He said the board wanted to be proactive rather than reactive. Cooper noted the county was aware of national and state-level conversations about the technology. He added that the board felt this was the right time to make the call.

The poles holding the cameras remain in place. Flock is responsible for removing those poles. The technology has drawn public criticism over privacy and potential misuse. The county now has no active Flock cameras in operation.