61 Cameras, 56 Audit Flags: Alexandria Police Opens the Door to Questions
Alexandria Police says 56 license-plate-reader searches were flagged for extra review over three years—but none was found to involve improper or unauthorized use. APD has now published a map of its 61 fixed cameras, and residents can question the department about Flock and other police technology Wednesday night.
ALEXANDRIA, VA—Alexandria Police has posted new details about how it audits its 61 fixed automatic license plate readers just before a public listening session on police technology.
In its license-plate-reader dashboard and response page, APD says it audits all employee activity in the system every 30 days. Fifty-six instances were flagged for additional review over the past three years, the department says, but none was determined to involve an improper, unauthorized or non-legitimate law-enforcement purpose. APD says the most common issues were missing or mistyped case numbers.
The same official page now includes an interactive map showing where Alexandria’s 61 fixed readers are located.
Those are the department’s findings; Zebra has not independently audited the underlying search logs.
APD says it expects an outside review of the program to begin by Oct. 1. The department is working to expand Ohio State University criminologist Robin Engel’s independent review of APD traffic-stop and use-of-force data to include the license-plate-reader program.
The new response also says Alexandria has restricted its plate-reader data from 12 Virginia agencies with federal 287(g) immigration-enforcement agreements. Data not connected to an active investigation must be purged after 21 days under Virginia law, APD says. The City’s current Flock Safety contract expires in April 2027, and APD says it is evaluating alternatives.
The technology inventory is broader than the plate readers. APD reports 628 body-worn cameras, 70 in-car camera systems, six red-light cameras, seven school-zone speed cameras and 43 public-safety camera systems, 11 of which are currently inoperable.
Residents Can Ask Questions Wednesday
The Alexandria Police Department will hold its next Community Listening Session on Technology on Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Patrick Henry Recreation Center, 4653 Taney Ave.
The City’s official calendar notice says the free session is intended to continue public dialogue about the use and governance of public-safety technology, gather feedback and help shape APD’s next steps.
Residents may want to ask about independent audits, data-sharing limits, camera placement, the newly published map, the 21-day retention rule, proposed vendor alternatives and how the department measures whether the system is effective.
