Removing Flock is the first step, not the last.

1. 1

   Get rid of Flock.

   End the city's contract and remove all of the Flock devices: power the cameras down and take them off the poles.

   Flock is a vendor of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) — AI-augmented, always-on cameras that log every passing vehicle, creating a searchable record of movement across the city, even though more than 99% of that data is never tied to a crime. Getting rid of Flock is a necessary first step toward real accountability on surveillance tech in Alexandria: Flock has shown, repeatedly, that it cannot be trusted as a partner.

   The record here is not subtle. Flock’s data flows to 161* outside agencies that can search Alexandria’s cameras on their own terms, while Flock’s terms and conditions give the company itself “the exclusive right to determine and control the method, timing, format, and medium” of access to that data. This means residents’ movements are governed by a private company’s contract terms, not truly by the city policy or resident preferences. Flock has also admitted misrepresenting whether federal immigration agents had direct access to its tracking data, has separately made false statements about what its cameras could do, flouted state statute guardrails similar to those quoted by Alexandria, and provided bad actors across the nation with the means for misuse. It should be unacceptable for the city to keep doing business with a vendor whose own conduct undermines the safeguards it claims to offer.

   But swapping vendors won’t fix what’s actually broken, especially when other vendors still control the data aggregation and terms, and when Alexandrians never got to weigh in on this technology. Any “next” vendor, absent a real process, can recreate the same problems — they may just be better at hiding such conduct from public reporting. Ending the Flock contract, as other Virginia localities have already done, is the right immediate move, but it has to be paired with a lasting, transparent process for public input on surveillance technology, set now, before any technology changes are embedded throughout our community.

   *And this number keeps changing.

2. 2

   Disclose Alexandria's other surveillance tools

   Flock is just the tip of the iceberg. What about all the other surveillance tech deployed in secret? It starts with a public inventory of what Alexandria operates.

   Alexandria has never volunteered information on the extent of surveillance technology currently used. Although Virginia law requires every law enforcement agency to report annually to the state the categories of surveillance technologies it used, accessed, or procured, this information is not widely shared with the public. Alexandria’s filing for July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025 reports 8 categories in use, including cell site simulators, drones, and GPS trackers. None of Alexandria’s surveillance tech received public City Council votes or explicit consent.

   We demand a comprehensive public audit, including hearings, that explain each surveillance technology employed by the city: why it is in use; how it is used; where it is deployed; how its risks are weighed and addressed (including how data is aggregated, processed, and stored); and its contract dates, provider and terms.

   Flock ALPRs are neither the only surveillance tool used around our city, nor is it the only tool whose risks and potential benefits must receive public transparency in order to be deployed in alignment with Alexandria’s values and needs.

3. 3

   Require transparency and accountability going forward

   We demand public hearings, a council vote, and independent review of all surveillance tech. No contract, new or renewed, should continue without them.

   Flock was installed without a public vote because nothing in the city’s rules required one. Getting rid of Flock without enacting a new city policy that strictly requires public review and approval of any surveillance technology means the next tool arrives the same way: No public awareness, no clear proportionality assessment, no public discussion on how the technology can chill speech, foment opportunities for misuse, undermine public trust, and more.

   Renewals matter as much as new purchases. When an agreement continues by a purchasing officer’s signature rather than a public decision, the choice to keep a surveillance system gets made with nobody watching.

   The city of Alexandria must enact policies or ordinances that create lasting, independent oversight for approval, renewal, use, and deployment of any surveillance technology across our city.

The record behind these asks is on the ALX Surveillance page. If you want to help make the case, here is how to get involved.