HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Henrico County will continue investing in Flock license plate reading cameras as part of a nearly $2 billion budget approved by the Board of Supervisors this week, despite concerns over data privacy.
The Henrico Police Division received $117 million in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget. Board Chairman Roscoe D. Cooper III said the funding will help the department manage crime and invest in technology upgrades like the Flock cameras while working to fill 56 vacant sworn officer positions out of its 685 total roles.
According to police data, the county has 112 Flock cameras.
"They are not centralized in the county, but they’re dispersed across the entire county," Cooper said. "Technology has been a phenomenal tool in our tool to ensure that our residents are protected and that crime is being fought."
However, Three Chopt District Supervisor Misty Roundtree has been vocal about her concerns surrounding the surveillance technology.
"Henrico can do everything 1000% right and still expose our residents to harm," Roundtree said. "This is about a technology that is evolving and expanding far beyond the grasp most of us can begin to understand and about data that leaves Henrico’s hands in great numbers."
Beyond public safety, the budget maintains the 83-cent real estate tax rate and fully funds Henrico Schools. Despite a projected decrease in state funding, supervisors made up the losses, giving the school division its requested $789 million operating budget for the 2026-2027 school year.
"We made sure that whatever that budget shortfall was that we made up for it. It was a little over $12 million and their entire budget increased by $25 million. We made sure that was covered as well. So, the budget that they have is the budget that was presented to us from the school, and they have that budget," Cooper said.
Regarding infrastructure, county supervisors set aside $50 million for a west-to-end water distribution project. Once completed, the project will help supply the county's east end with reliable water. The area was directly impacted by Richmond’s water crisis last year.
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