Virginia county crews pull 120 cameras after company missed removal deadline
Henrico County officials took down the equipment themselves on Saturday after Flock failed to meet its contractual deadline.
By Sarah Montgomery ·
More than 120 Flock cameras were taken down from Henrico County poles on Saturday. County Manager John Vithoulkas confirmed the number, noting that local crews handled the labor rather than waiting for the vendor.
The removal follows a dispute over timing. The county ended its use of the automatic license plate reader system last month. Under the agreement, Flock was required to take the cameras off the network within two weeks of the contract ending. That window closed without the hardware being removed, so officials decided to pull the units themselves.
The decision to exit the program began in mid-October. On Oct. 6, Henrico County posted on social media that police had cut ties with the technology. Leaders said the choice evolved after input from residents, law enforcement, and technical experts. They weighed the operational benefits against worries about privacy and data access.
Rev. Roscoe D. Cooper III, chairman of the Henrico Board of Supervisors, framed the move as a preventive step. He 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.” Officials added that no evidence showed Henrico police misused the system.
Flock still owns the poles. The company is responsible for removing the physical structures now that the cameras are off the network. The county expects the poles to come down as part of the final phase of the contract cleanup.
