Henrico County Removes 120 Flock Cameras After Contract Dispute

Henrico County crews dismantled more than 120 Flock cameras on Saturday. The county took the physical equipment down itself after Flock failed to meet a contractual obligation to remove the devices. The removal marks the final step in ending a relationship that lasted several years.

The county officially stopped using the Flock cameras in October due to privacy concerns. The original contract required the vendor to have the hardware gone within two weeks of termination. When that deadline passed without action from Flock, local officials decided to handle the labor directly. The poles supporting the cameras remain in place, which remains the vendor's responsibility to remove.

The decision to cut ties with the automated license plate readers came after discussions with other leaders and feedback from residents. Police stopped using the system by mid-October. Officials noted that the move was preventative and that they found no evidence the Henrico Police Department misused the data.

Rev. Roscoe D. Cooper III, chairman of the Henrico Board of Supervisors, explained the timing. "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. The technology has faced public criticism regarding data access and potential misuse.

The county now awaits Flock's action on the remaining poles. No further removal work is scheduled for the county's own crews regarding the hardware mounts.