Virginia communities on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., are moving to cancel or reevaluate their contracts with Flock Safety as backlash against the company’s automatic license plate readers has expanded.
The Arlington County Board voted on Tuesday to end its contract with Flock, while neighboring Fairfax County has said it will pause its Flock cameras to conduct a review. In Alexandria, the city council is still mulling over how to proceed with the technology.
Each governing body said it was responding to concerns raised by community members over invasion of privacy and misuse, while some leaders have addressed Flock CEO Garrett Langley directly, requesting “detailed answers” about data access.
Arlington’s County Board voted Tuesday in closed session to discontinue its lease with Flock due to “concerns raised by Arlington residents,” but added that there have been no cases of police misuse of the technology.
“While Arlington has maintained strong safeguards to prevent the abuse of this technology throughout its use by the County, and there has been no report of misuse to date, the County Board takes seriously our obligation to maintain our community’s trust,” the board said following the vote. “The Board, the Manager, and our Public Safety staff will continue to evaluate the tools and technologies we use to ensure they align with the values and expectations of Arlington’s residents.”
Concerns about police abusing Flock’s surveillance database have increased in recent months, as reports have emerged across the country of law enforcement using the system to stalk exes. Flock has responded by changing its policies to combat police misuse.
Fairfax County is taking an alternative approach, pausing Flock camera operations until it has conducted a review to address residents’ concerns about privacy and data security.
“While the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) has safeguards governing its use of FLOCK Safety ALPRs, and there have been no identified instances of misuse by FCPD, I believe the broader concerns surrounding this technology warrant additional review and greater assurances from Flock Safety,” county board Chair Jeff McKay said.
McKay also penned a letter to Flock’s leader, Langley, raising further questions about data protection, asking who can access the data across federal and state jurisdictions and what safeguards are in place to prevent misuse.
Flock has consistently said it does not own the vehicle data, as law enforcement owns the data collected in its jurisdiction under its contractual agreements with the company. Additionally, cross-jurisdictional data sharing occurs only if the contracted agency agrees.
At least one community in Fairfax County shares data collected by Flock cameras. A homeowner’s association in the county that is contracted with Flock told the Washington Examiner it allows the county police department “limited access” to data collected to identify offenders, assist with investigations, and, where appropriate, aid in prosecution efforts.
The Fairfax complex’s HOA said Fairfax County’s access is “restricted to case numbers and specific search parameters, such as plate number and vehicle characteristics.” Additionally, the association said it retains data for 30 days, despite Flock changing the standard retention period to one week, which applies only to new contracts.
Unlike its neighbors, the city of Alexandria has yet to make a final decision on how to proceed with Flock.
Last week, the city council discussed the technology, with some council members saying they want to see action toward ending the city’s contract with Flock. Mayor Alyia Gaskins noted the city can cancel its contract at any time. Police Chief Tarrick McGuire told the council that the police department is looking at other vendors to replace Flock, but some council members said that is not satisfactory.
“Eliminating Flock isn’t enough for me,” Councilwoman Sandy Marks said. “Eliminating it and moving to a new and similar technology isn’t enough for me without an extended conversation.”
Virginia communities questioning Flock’s role in their areas comes as the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism prepares to hold a hearing with the company about the “nationwide AI surveillance network.”
AMID NATIONAL BACKLASH, PATEL THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND FLOCK CAMERAS
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) previously sent a letter to Langley, raising concerns about the company’s “unprecedented national surveillance network.” Hawley said he would be opening an investigation into Flock’s “collection, retention, and dissemination of the data generated by its artificial intelligence cameras.”
The subcommittee’s hearing is scheduled for Sept. 23 at 2:30 p.m., but it is unclear who will be representing Flock before the panel.