State senator wants to make Flock-like cameras illegal
The short version: A Virginia GOP state senator says he'll file a bill banning Flock-style ALPR networks, a sign that bipartisan unease with mass plate surveillance is growing.
Our Take
Credit to WAVY TV 10 for getting a sitting state senator on record: Glen Sturtevant (R-Colonial Heights) says he plans to introduce legislation next session to outlaw Flock-like camera systems in Virginia. That a Republican lawmaker is the one pushing back matters — this isn't a left-right issue, it's a everyone-gets-tracked issue. When cameras log every car that passes, they log the innocent far more often than the guilty, and they do it without a warrant, a judge, or much public input in the first place.
We don't know yet what the bill's language will look like, how broad its ban would be, or whether it survives committee — General Assembly sessions are where good intentions often get watered down by industry lobbying. Flock Safety has shown it's willing to fight these fights state by state. Still, the fact that lawmakers are even proposing outright bans, rather than just 'reform' or 'oversight,' tells you how fast the politics on ALPRs are shifting as more communities learn how these networks actually operate.
If you want to see how saturated your own area already is before legislators catch up, check our camera map. And if you'd rather not wait on Richmond to act, our take-action page has tools for pushing your own city council or state rep right now.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WAVY TV 10, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.