Reed Baldwin, Contributing Writer
I like feeling safe — we all do. Safety allows us to have fun, relax and enjoy the world around us. Safety fills a void where uncertainty and anxiety would otherwise be present.
I also like privacy. I enjoy those secluded, personal moments with friends, family or on my own — moments where we can be our truest selves without the worry of embarrassment or unwanted attention. Privacy allows us a space to retreat and escape the world’s perception.
So, we all like privacy and safety. But would you sacrifice one for the other? Would you give up your privacy to protect your safety? Would you risk your safety to maintain your privacy?
But most importantly, do you trust your local government to make that decision for you?
If you live in Richmond, or any of the thousands of other cities across the country, then they already have.
Over the past year, the city of Richmond has received significant backlash for its ongoing contract — and its recent renewal of that contract — with Flock Safety. The Atlanta-based security company offers several products, including gunshot detectors, automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, security cameras and “first responder” drones.
Flock maintains that data is protected and is only accessible to law enforcement. However, security researchers and anti-surveillance activists have found several Flock networks left completely unencrypted.
While access to public security cameras may not seem like a terrible breach of privacy, Flock’s products are much more than simple security cameras. Flock’s ALPRs use an AI program to track and record all vehicle movement while taking note of license plates, car color, bumper stickers and any other distinguishing features.
With the press of a button, our local law enforcement — as well as anyone able to access the Flock network — can see every time your car has passed one of these cameras.
Beyond the risk of public access, surveillance systems like Flock have been repeatedly abused by law enforcement officers.
Just last year, a police chief in Braselton, Georgia was arrested for using Flock cameras to “stalk and harass private citizens.” Two years earlier, a police chief in Sedgwick, Kansas resigned after using Flock to stalk and follow an ex-girlfriend, tracking her vehicle location over 200 times.
A year before that, another Kansas police lieutenant was charged with using Flock to stalk his estranged wife. In 2025, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office in Texas searched over 83,000 cameras nationally to find a woman who fled the state after receiving an abortion.
So while there are very real concerns about unauthorized access to Flock’s camera footage, it is clear that “authorized” access should be just as concerning.
There are currently 99 fixed Flock ALPRs in use throughout Richmond, according to the city’s website. RPD also has a small number — currently two, soon to be four — of mobile ALPR devices attached to trailers “intermittently deployed for traffic-related issues and to locations with heightened crime concerns.” A map of these cameras can be found at deflock.org.
Over 100 AI-powered cameras are currently in use within a few miles of you. Does that make you feel safer? For many Richmond residents, the answer is no.
The Block Flock campaign is a local initiative pressuring the city to end its current contract with Flock. Led by the Richmond branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, there have been an increasing number of rallies and protests over the past year.
Aurora Britt, an organizer with the Block Flock campaign, added a lot of clarity on the local concerns about surveillance.
“A lot of the city doesn’t know anything about the cameras, but everyone we’ve spoken to is against them in one way or another,” Britt said. “The City of Richmond decided to fund and massively expand surveillance throughout the city. It is unsecure and makes us all less safe.”
There are always outliers, but the general consensus is this — the people of Richmond are against mass surveillance. This isn’t paranoia or an admission of guilt. This isn’t even valuing privacy over safety. This is a community response to government overreach.
Last summer, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) accessed Richmond’s Flock cameras to assist with immigration enforcement. This led to the termination of the bureau’s access to the network, but provided a clear example of the potential dangers of Flock.
In January, the Virginia State Crime Commission released a report after sending ALPR surveys to agencies across the state. The report stated that “based on the responses to the Crime Commission’s 2025 Law Enforcement ALPR Use Survey, some Virginia law enforcement agencies are not using ALPR in accordance with the new statute.”
The statute referenced is a new set of standards put out by the General Assembly in July. They allow ALPR footage to be saved for just 21 days and prohibit sharing data with out-of-state or federal agencies.
The fact that law enforcement is treating these standards as suggestions should be concerning for all of us.
For Britt and other local residents, the issue lies not only in surveillance, but consent. Richmond residents were not asked about these security measures. They were not consulted when over $1 million was reportedly spent on these systems.
This is another instance of Richmond being reactive instead of proactive on issues such as crime, food insecurity and a growing housing crisis. Residents are not just asking for an end to mass surveillance, they are asking for those resources to be redirected to proactive solutions.
For many of us in the VCU community, Richmond is just that: VCU. There are beautiful views, great restaurants, live shows and anything else you could possibly be looking for, all within walking distance from campus. It’s easy to get stuck in the bubble. The concerns of the rest of the city can feel like another world.
Wherever you fall in the debate on safety versus privacy, we can all agree that communities should have the right to decide for themselves how to balance the two. If that sentiment resonates, let it usher your first step out of the bubble. Getting connected with the Block Flock campaign is not just voicing your opinion — it’s standing with your neighbors.
We have the right to feel safe in our communities. We have the right to privacy in our communities. Flock cameras have proven to be a threat to both.
Flock out of Richmond now.