Richmond police defend Flock cameras as backlash grows
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Richmond has become the latest flashpoint in the nationwide backlash against surveillance technology as local activists urge the city to end its contract with Flock Safety.
Why it matters: That doesn't seem likely.
Driving the news: During a City Council committee meeting Tuesday, Police Chief Rick Edwards defended Flock's automatic license plate readers and gunshot detectors as critical tools for solving crimes.
- Edwards cited cases involving abductions and homicides — including one in 2024 in which police caught suspects within 33 minutes of the killing — as proof that they work.
- Most recently, Flock cameras were used to arrest a driver who killed a pedestrian in a January hit-and-run.
- The city has deployed 101 of these devices, per Edwards. Their locations aren't public.
Zoom in: Edwards acknowledged the privacy concerns, including fears that they'll be used for immigration enforcement.
- But he noted Virginia law bars them from being used outside of state law enforcement agencies.
- Per the law, they can be used only for reasons like missing or wanted persons, human trafficking, and other in-state criminal investigations.
- They also collect only license plate numbers and car descriptions, not personal information like names and addresses, per Edwards.
The other side: Opponents remain skeptical.
- Last year, before the law went into effect, a federal agency tapped into the Richmond Police Department's Flock cameras before the department blocked all federal agencies from being able to do so.
- At a Monday rally and in a Tuesday news release, residents and advocacy groups like the Richmond Democratic Socialists of America chapter warned that the cameras enable mass surveillance with little oversight.
- They also referenced a study released last month that found the Flock cameras in Hampton Roads were more likely to be found in majority-Black or low-income neighborhoods than other neighborhoods.
By the numbers: Democratic Socialists of America reps said a petition to cancel the city's contract has more than 1,300 signatures.
Yes, but: The cameras also have some supporters, per public comment at Tuesday's meeting.
- "No system is perfect, including Flock," said Juan Braxton, the criminal justice chair of the Richmond NAACP.
- "But when it's your family [that's] looking for something, you're going to want those Flock cameras."
The intrigue: Other Virginia cities have chosen to drop their contracts with Flock, including Charlottesville and Staunton in recent months, due to concerns over privacy and potential misuse.
- Nationwide, so have localities like Cambridge, Massachusetts; Santa Cruz, California; and, as of this week, Denver.
The bottom line: Even if Richmond keeps its Flock contract, the political fight over surveillance is likely not going away.