Henrico County Removes 120 License Plate Cameras

Henrico County crews pulled all 120 Flock cameras from the ground on Saturday. County Manager John Vithoulkas confirmed the removal of the equipment. Officials acted because the vendor failed to meet its contractual obligation to take the units down.

The county stopped using the automatic license plate reader system last month. Leaders cited privacy concerns as the primary reason for the decision. The contract stipulated that cameras should be gone within two weeks of termination. That deadline passed without the hardware being removed.

Henrico police cut ties with the cameras by mid-October. An Oct. 6 social media post noted that leaders consulted with other officials before ending the relationship. The decision followed feedback from residents, police, and experts. These stakeholders weighed the technology's benefits against privacy and data access risks.

County leaders framed the move as a preventative measure. They stated there was no evidence that Henrico police misused the system. The decision aligns with broader discussions at the state and national levels regarding surveillance technology.

Rev. Roscoe D. Cooper III, chairman of the Henrico Board of Supervisors, explained the timing. "Rather be proactive than reactive," he said. He added that the board felt it was the right time to make the decision.

The poles supporting the cameras remain in place. Flock is responsible for removing those structures. The county took down the camera units itself to ensure the technology was no longer active.