Lynchburg Council to Weigh Future of Flock Cameras as Nearby Counties End Programs

Thursday's special meeting comes as Campbell and Appomattox counties move to discontinue their Flock camera programs amid growing privacy concerns.

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Lynchburg City Council will meet Thursday evening to consider the future of the city's 15 fixed Flock automatic license plate readers, as two neighboring counties move to discontinue their own use of the controversial technology.

The special called meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, in Council Chamber at City Hall, 900 Church Street.

According to the city's meeting notice, Council will consider a resolution regarding the temporary pause of the cameras, support for the Lynchburg Police Department, and providing "notice" and license revocation in accordance with the terms of the city's agreement with Flock Group Inc.

The meeting comes as the debate over Flock cameras expands across the Lynchburg region.

On Wednesday, the Campbell County Sheriff's Office announced that it is terminating its agreement with Flock and deactivating the county's six stationary cameras. Appomattox County Sheriff Robert Richardson also announced Wednesday that his office would suspend its Flock contract and turn off its cameras.

Both developments followed public concerns about privacy and the collection and use of information gathered through automatic license plate reader technology.

Lynchburg's cameras are already offline.

The Lynchburg Police Department announced last month that it was temporarily pausing operation of the city's 15 fixed cameras in response to community feedback and concerns about public trust. Police emphasized that the decision was not prompted by any identified misuse of the cameras.

LPD has said the technology has helped officers recover stolen vehicles, locate missing and endangered people, apprehend violent offenders and assist with criminal investigations.

The department also announced plans to work with city staff on an independent third-party review of its policies, procedures, training and operational practices involving automatic license plate readers.

Flock cameras capture license plates and other vehicle information that can be searched by law enforcement as part of criminal investigations. Supporters point to the technology's ability to quickly identify vehicles connected to crimes and other public-safety situations. Critics have raised concerns about privacy, the collection and retention of vehicle-location information, and how that information can be accessed and shared.

Those concerns have prompted a growing number of Virginia localities to reconsider their use of the technology.

With Campbell and Appomattox counties now moving away from Flock and Lynchburg's cameras already paused, Thursday's special meeting could determine whether the city follows its neighbors and takes steps toward ending its own agreement.