Under mounting privacy fears from residents, APD has answered more City Council questions on Flock surveillance cameras and released a map of where 61 of the automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are located throughout the city.
The Alexandria Police Department made nearly 21,000 automated license plate reader queries between August 2025 and August 2026, directly leading to 72 felony charges and 65 misdemeanor charges. That would represent about 5% out of the total 2,694 criminal arrests made during that period. The Flock surveillance cameras also helped APD locate three missing persons and recover 35 stolen vehicles and four firearms, according to APD’s updated FAQ page on Flock cameras.
APD contends that the technology helps the department keep the city safe. On Oct. 2, Police Chief Tarrick McGuire told reporters that a license plate reader helped track down a recently arrested murder suspect.
“Police technology is very critical to helping us establish investigative leads,” McGuire said. “I will tell you that immediately after this event occurred, going back through utilizing that technology, ALPR camera, the vehicle was located on that camera approximately four minutes after this violent crime occurred. So, it was very critical in helping us establish an investigative lead.”
Alexandria’s contract with Flock started in 2023 and can be terminated any time, McGuire told City Council last month.
A majority of the ALPRs in the city are clustered in high crime areas like the West End, as well as at the city’s borders with Fairfax and Arlington counties — two localities that are moving away from the technology. The Arlington County Board recently voted to discontinue use of Flock cameras and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to suspend installation of Flock cameras. The Fairfax County School Board also banned Flock-style ALPRs from school grounds.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins said last month that she does not see a role for Flock cameras in Alexandria. No timeline or process to discontinue the city’s contract has been offered, and City Council is currently waiting on a report on the cameras from APD.
“I do think there’s a role for technology, and I do think we have seen the role that has [taken] place and the benefit it has,” Gaskins said. “I do not think there’s a role for Flock in this community.”
The technology has raised privacy concerns, with some residents and groups fearful of other jurisdictions in Virginia sharing the city’s data with the federal government.
“ALPRs violate our privacy, and there is no meaningful way to regulate the way this data is shared between private companies, law enforcement, local and federal government,” Alison O’Connell, founder of DeFlock ALX, previously told ALXnow. “It puts our immigrant communities in danger through direct access by ICE and jurisdictions that allow it, side door access to ICE and the federal government when friendly officers allow that, and federal subpoenas that supersede our state laws, ALPRs and their placement disproportionately impact minority community members.”
Below is a list from APD on use of the surveillance cameras in the city.
- Parking Enforcement ALPR — 10 vehicle-mounted systems used for automated parking enforcement
- Body-Worn Cameras — 628 cameras, providing approximately two per officer plus backup cameras, used as wearable recording devices
- Red-Light Cameras — Six cameras at four intersections used for traffic-safety enforcement
- Speed Cameras — Seven cameras located in school zones and used for traffic-safety enforcement
- Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR) — 61 operational fixed cameras used for legitimate law-enforcement and public-safety purposes
- In-Car Cameras — 70 dashboard-mounted cameras and prisoner-compartment camera systems installed in police vehicles
- Public Safety Cameras — 43 total systems, including 27 pole-mounted cameras and 5 mobile trailers; 11 are currently inoperable
APD will conduct its second community listening session on Flock cameras and other technology use in the city on Wednesday (Oct. 7), from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Patrick Henry Recreation Center (4653 Taney Avenue).
Image via City of Alexandria
