Henrico County pulls 120 Flock cameras after vendor misses deadline

Henrico County crews dismantled more than 120 automatic license plate reader cameras on Saturday. The removal follows a dispute over who was responsible for taking down the hardware after the county terminated its agreement with Flock.

County Manager John Vithoulkas confirmed that local staff performed the labor. Officials stated that Flock failed to meet its contractual obligation to remove the devices. The contract required the cameras to be gone within two weeks of the agreement's end, but the poles and equipment remained in place.

Henrico County stopped using the Flock system last month. Police cut ties with the technology by mid-October. The decision came after discussions with residents, law enforcement, and experts regarding data access and privacy.

Leadership described the exit as a preventative measure. They noted that there was no evidence of misuse by Henrico police. The move aligns with a growing national conversation about the technology.

Rev. Roscoe D. Cooper III, chairman of the Henrico Board of Supervisors, addressed the timing of the decision in a public statement. “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,” he said.

The county announced the break from Flock on social media on Oct. 6. Flock is now responsible for removing the poles that support the cameras.