RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond police have deployed 99 Flock Safety automatic license plate readers across the city, and while the technology has been credited with helping solve crimes, it has also sparked debate over privacy, data security and cost.
The cameras are mounted on black poles or light poles with a solar panel and are always running, capturing images of every car or person that passes. But according to Dr. William Pelfrey, a criminal justice professor at VCU’s Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, they do far more than read license plates.
"If you drive down a toll road, a license plate reader takes a picture of your license plate and make sure that you're paying your toll as you go through," Pelfrey said. "Flock cameras do a lot more than that. They monitor stickers on your car, damage on your car, make a model of your car, sometimes even the tires on your car, so they can produce a searchable database that has all this information about you, and that worries some people."
Pelfrey said there are about 100,000 Flock cameras across the U.S. He said the data can assist local law enforcement when investigators have some information but not enough to close a case.
"Local law enforcement uses these data all the time, and they're very helpful in catching people, tracking down cars, stolen cars, missing persons, finding suspects in crimes. And there's lots and lots of success stories with local law enforcement," Pelfrey said.
Richmond police say the cameras have already been used in local investigations. Flock cameras were used in solving a hit-and-run off Semmes Avenue that killed Kristen Tolbert, 26, in early January. They were also used in the investigation into the death of Hope Cartwright, 23, who was killed in a hit-and-run at the intersection of Cary and 2nd streets last week.
For Charles Willis, an anti-gun violence activist, the technology's role in solving crimes is reason enough to support it.
"The Flock cameras that the city council and mayor implemented into Richmond area is working where I'm looking forward to soon there are some folks that are soon apprehended and brought to justice," Willis said.
But others strongly disagree. Penny Page, a member of the Richmond Democratic Socialists of America, said her group's biggest concerns are cybersecurity and potential misuse.
"People are using the data on these things to like stalk their ex-girlfriends, it's really scary stuff. But also the data from these cameras have been accessed by ICE all over the country," Page said.
"The second part of that concern is it's just a waste of money. There is no proof that these actually solve crimes. Flock likes to point to anecdotal cases where crime has been solved, and their technology has been used in the course of that. But there's no clear trend that across the board cities that have this technology have less crime," Page said.
Pelfrey also highlighted concerns that some people have about who can access the data, including whether ICE can tap into local law enforcement databases.
"The only limitations are those enacted at the initial time of contract. So when Richmond police or Chesterfield County police sign a contract with Flock, they set up their safeguards. Sometimes those safeguards get circumvented. That's pretty rare, but unless an agency is really paying attention to who has access to these data, the data can become more public or more available to other agencies beyond what the original agency intended," Pelfrey said.
Richmond police told CBS 6 the federal government, including ICE, cannot access Richmond's Flock data.
Pelfrey said the pendulum is swinging away from Flock, with some cities already starting to cancel their contracts. He recommends that residents interested in learning whether their city or county has a contract with Flock — and what limitations were put in place when it was signed — ask their local government for a copy of the contract.
Page and others rallied outside Richmond City Hall, calling on city leaders to cancel RPD's Flock contract. Several people also signed up to speak to council members during their meeting.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
