Alexandria Mayor Says She Sees No Role for Flock Cameras

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Mayor Alyia Gaskins said she does not think Flock Safety has a role in Alexandria, putting the City’s license-plate-reader vendor under new public scrutiny after a Sept. 8 City Council discussion.

“I do not think there’s a role for Flock in this community,” Gaskins said during last night’s City Council meeting.

The statement came during an oral report on Flock cameras, listed as Item 12 on the Sept. 8 Council docket. No Council vote was taken, and the City has not announced that it will terminate the contract or select a replacement vendor.

Council Members Raise Privacy Concerns

Councilman Abdel-Rahman Elnoubi and Councilwoman Sandy Marks also questioned continuing with Flock. Marks said changing vendors alone would not resolve the broader privacy issues raised by automated license-plate-reader technology.

The discussion follows growing public concern about who may search camera data, how long it is retained and whether a network of cameras recording vehicle movements can be used in ways residents did not anticipate.

Gaskins said technology can play a public-safety role, but said that benefit does not settle the question of whether Alexandria should continue with Flock.

Chief Describes Current Safeguards

Police Chief Tarrick McGuire defended the department’s use of the technology and said the City is also talking with other vendors. He told Council he did not yet have a firm timeline for next steps.

Alexandria’s Flock transparency portal lists 61 cameras along public roadways. McGuire said data is purged after 21 days unless it is associated with an active investigation.

He said only trained Alexandria Police Department personnel may access the database, searches must have a specific law-enforcement purpose and staff members conduct monthly audits. McGuire also said APD does not share license-plate-reader information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The City’s Flock contract began in 2023 and can be terminated at any time, McGuire said. He told Council he would return with answers to its questions.

Read The Zebra’s earlier explainer, “Flock Cameras in Alexandria Raise Privacy Questions,” for background on how the technology works and the policy debate surrounding it.