DeFlock Fairfax

Unchecked Spying Erodes Your Privacy, Immigrants' Rights, and the Rule of Law

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 80,000 cameras being used to:

FCPD’s ALPR policy states it does “not share information to federal authorities regarding their investigations into immigration enforcement.” However, it isn’t possible to verify how FCPD uses ALPR cameras because ALPR logs are not subject to FOIA requests, and there are no independent audits of ALPR searches. Additionally, FCPD shares its ALPR data with over 160 agencies. These agencies can search our cameras however they like, without any accountability.

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, in violation of the law.
  • 16% don’t have an ALPR policy, in violation of the law.
  • 21% keep data longer than 21 days, in violation of the law.
  • 13% share continuous ALPR data with out-of-state agencies, in violation of the law.
  • 6% share continuous ALPR data with federal agencies, in violation 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.


Flock Doesn't Make Us Safer

Flock claims its cameras have solved 10% of reported crimes in the US. This comes from a study predominantly written by Flock employees, and its other claims about safety have faced skepticism from academics.

Contrary to the idea that there is “no expectation of privacy in public,” the Supreme Court explicitly stated “A person does not surrender all Fourth Amendment protection by venturing into the public sphere.”

Flock’s security is abysmal. Several cameras upload to the internet unencrypted, allowing anyone to observe people at markets, joggers on trails, and children at playgrounds. Russian hackers gained access to Flock footage because Flock doesn’t require basic security measures.

Police departments collect Flock data without warrants. Officers have been told to “be as vague as permissible” for why they are using Flock. Virginia police have issued thousands of searches with vague, one-word justifications such as “suspect,” “suspicious,” or even “123.”

This is unambiguous surveillance which can and has been easily abused. The best way to avoid abuse is to prevent systems which provide the opportunity for such abuse.

Supporting Organizations

These churches, activist groups, and nonprofits agree that Fairfax County should amend its contracts to remove ALPR systems. If you’re part of an organization that would be interested in signing on, please reach out. Take a stand and fight back against unchecked surveillance that hurts you and your neighbors!

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