DeFlock Fairfax

In 2023, the Fairfax County Police Department began using Flock Safety License Plate Readers. Unlike normal traffic cameras, automated license plate readers (ALPRs) continually monitor all traffic to uniquely profile every passing vehicle and create an easily searchable history of its movements without a warrant. Flock gained national attention for its collection of over 120,000 cameras being used to:

• Stalk police officers’ ex-romantic partners.
• Wrongfully target innocent people who were held at gunpoint, attacked by a K-9, and jailed.
• Surveil people exercising their First Amendment rights.
• Conduct a nationwide search for a Texas woman getting an abortion
• Send gun-show customers’ information to federal agents
• Assist ICE’s immigration crackdown.
• Tell an innocent woman, “You can’t get a breath of fresh air…without us knowing.”

It isn’t possible to verify how FCPD uses ALPR cameras because ALPR logs are not subject to FOIA requests. FCPD shares continuous data from its 80+ Flock cameras and 700+ Axon cameras with over 160 agencies. These agencies can search our cameras however they like, without any accountability. Moreover, all Flock data is owned by Flock, not FCPD. Its terms and conditions grant the company, “the exclusive right to determine and control the method, timing, format, and medium” of access to the data.

Virginia passed a law in 2025 regulating ALPR usage, limiting data sharing and retention periods. In 2026, the Crime Commission released police departments’ self-reported ALPR usage. A third of departments didn’t respond. Of the respondents using ALPRs:

• 35% haven’t promoted public awareness of ALPR usage
• 16% don’t have an ALPR policy
• 21% keep data longer than 21 days
• 13% share continuous ALPR data with out-of-state agencies
• 6% share continuous ALPR data with federal agencies
• These are all violations of the law
• The report didn’t say which departments broke the law
• The report didn’t indicate any departments would face consequences

Flock admitted to lying about sending data to immigration enforcement. Flock has lied to a Wisconsin city council about surveillance features. Data about our daily movements is entrusted to a private company whose integrity is suspect. Regulating Flock has failed, and its lawful usage relies on broken promises from the company itself.

Other Virginia police departments have terminated their Flock contracts. It’s time for Fairfax County to follow suit. It’s time to de-Flock.

Urge the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to remove ALPRs →

Take action against ALPRs by filling out our interest form →