Henrico removes 120 cameras after company missed deadline
County crews took down the equipment themselves after Flock failed to remove it within the two-week window following the contract's end.
By Olivia Barnes ·
Henrico County crews removed all 120 Flock cameras from the area this past weekend.
County Manager John Vithoulkas confirmed that workers pulled the devices from their poles on Saturday. Officials stated they had to handle the removal personally because Flock did not meet its contractual obligation to take the hardware down. The agreement required the cameras to be gone within two weeks after the contract concluded, a deadline the company missed. The poles themselves remain in place, which is the responsibility of Flock to remove.
The county stopped using the automatic license plate reader system in October. Police cut ties with the technology by mid-October after discussing the decision with other leaders. The move followed a period of review where officials listened to residents, police officers, and experts. They weighed the benefits of the technology against concerns regarding privacy and data access. Leaders described the decision as a preventative measure. They noted that there was no evidence Henrico police had 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 was aware of national and state-level discussions about the technology. "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 board issued this statement in a social media post on Oct. 6.
Source: KAUU
