There is growing concern across the D.C. area surrounding the use of Flock Safety cameras, which work as automated license plate readers. When cars drive by, the cameras record license plates and put them into a database powered by AI.
Some Fairfax County residents are worried about what this data is being used for and who has access to it. The chair of the Board of Supervisors recently sent Flock Safety a list of questions, which will be discussed Tuesday afternoon during a Public Safety Committee hearing.
The Fairfax County school system already voted to ban Flock cameras and similar technology on school campuses. That was a preemptive move, since there currently are no such cameras on school property.
Efforts to restrict Flock cameras have been seen in other areas of Northern Virginia. Arlington County voted to remove all its Flock cameras, and Alexandria recently published a map informing all of the cameras’ locations.
On the state level, there is bipartisan support for Flock camera restrictions. The matter will be discussed during the 2027 General Assembly session.
