Surveillance

Surveillance / Flock Cameras / Speed Cameras

• Overview
• Timeline
• Official Documents
• Meeting Minutes
• Video / Audio
• FOIA Requests and Responses
• News Coverage
• Questions Raised by the Record
• Corrections / Updates
• Share a Public Record

What the Public Record Shows So Far

New Kent County’s Flock ALPR program was already underway by November 2022. During the November 3, 2022 Board of Supervisors retreat, Sheriff Joe McLaughlin reported that the Sheriff’s Office had received vehicle license-plate-reader cameras through a DMV grant and that the cameras would be placed throughout New Kent County. The approved minutes also state that the upcoming operating budget would include an additional $10,000 for Flock cameras.

View the full approved November 3, 2022 Board of Supervisors Retreat Minutes

August 2026 FOIA Response

On August 18, 2026, the New Kent County Sheriff’s Office produced 16 records in response to a Virginia FOIA request submitted on August 12, 2026. The production includes the agency’s ALPR general order, program information, authorized-user report, camera-location and maintenance records, system-activity reports, hotlist-alert reports, case statistics, investigative-impact summaries, and examples of the Flock search interface and results.

The separate New Kent County request for Flock procurement, contract, and expenditure records remains pending.

View the August 2026 Flock ALPR FOIA request and produced records in the Public Records Library.

Program Timeline and Footprint

WHAT HAPPENED

The Sheriff’s Office program overview states that its first four Flock cameras went live in 2023 through a Virginia State Police HEAT grant. However, the device-history records show completed installations at Emmaus Church Road and Pocahontas Trail during December 2022. This follows the November 3, 2022 Board minutes stating that the Sheriff’s Office had already received license-plate-reader cameras.

By July 15, 2026, the Sheriff’s Office reported 16 ALPR cameras. Its program overview also identifies three Condor PTZ cameras.

SOURCE DOCUMENTS

Flock Camera Program Overview; Camera Locations and Maintenance Dates; Virginia ALPR State Report — January–June 2026; November 3, 2022 Board Retreat Minutes.

QUESTION RAISED BY THE RECORD

Does “launched in 2023” mean system activation rather than installation? What were the exact acquisition, installation, activation, funding, and expansion dates?

What the System Records and Searches

WHAT HAPPENED

The Sheriff’s Office states that Flock records a vehicle image, visible license plate, date and time, and camera location—not the driver’s name, home address, driver’s-license information, or registration information.

The provided interface shows searches using complete or partial plates and vehicle characteristics including body type, color, make, and other identifiers. Searches require an offense type, case or call-for-service number, and written reason.

General Order 2-83 states that ALPR use does not require reasonable suspicion or probable cause beforehand and may involve vehicles on public roads, public parking areas, or private property visible from a public road.

SOURCE DOCUMENTS

ALPR General Order 2-83; Crime Deterrence and Investigative Impact Summary; Flock Search Screen; Vehicle Signature Search Screen; Flock Search Result Example.

QUESTION RAISED BY THE RECORD

How broadly is “routine patrol” interpreted and audited? The interface displays a 30 Days search option while the written policy states that Flock data is purged after 21 days. How does that option operate for New Kent data?

Retention, Sharing, and Auditing

WHAT HAPPENED

Flock-hosted data is scheduled for deletion after 21 days. Relevant images and data may nevertheless be downloaded into an investigative file and retained under the Sheriff’s Office records-retention schedule.

The general order says New Kent will generally grant camera access to requesting Virginia agencies but will not grant access to federal or out-of-state agencies. The July 2026 state report indicates broad Virginia law-enforcement access and reports zero subpoenas, search warrants, or third-party requests for system or audit-trail data.

The public program overview says every search receives monthly leadership review. General Order 2-83 separately requires quarterly review of custom hotlist entries.

SOURCE DOCUMENTS

ALPR General Order 2-83; Virginia ALPR State Report — January–June 2026; Flock Camera Program Overview.

QUESTION RAISED BY THE RECORD

What is the current active agency-sharing list? How long can downloaded records remain in case files? Can the monthly search audits and quarterly hotlist reviews be documented?

Authorized Accounts

WHAT HAPPENED

The August 13, 2026 export lists 66 active accounts. Search and hotlist access are enabled for all 66, and four accounts have user-management permission.

General Order 2-83 says ALPR access is restricted to sworn personnel and emergency communications officers. The export includes titles—such as Finance Manager and Fire Marshal—that are not self-evidently within those two categories.

SOURCE DOCUMENTS

Authorized Flock Users — August 13, 2026; ALPR General Order 2-83.

QUESTION RAISED BY THE RECORD

What is the authorization basis for those positions, and how frequently are active accounts and permissions reviewed?

Scale of Collection and Search Reporting

WHAT HAPPENED

The vehicle-volume dashboard labels:

• 14,251,793 year-to-date vehicle reads
• 2,128,541 total vehicle volume for the selected reporting period

The July 15 state report lists 2,105 total queries for January–June 2026. However, the purpose categories on that same form total 3,107, including 2,180 classified as “Other Criminal Investigation.” The produced form does not reconcile those figures.

The separate 2026 offense report contains 2,180 searches. Its leading categories are motor-vehicle theft, larceny, wanted persons, hit-and-run investigations, and traffic infractions.

SOURCE DOCUMENTS

Vehicle Reads — 2026; Virginia ALPR State Report — January–June 2026; Searches by Offense Type — 2026.

QUESTION RAISED BY THE RECORD

Why does the state form report 2,105 total queries while its purpose breakdown totals 3,107? What period does the 2,128,541 vehicle-volume figure cover, and how does Flock distinguish a query from a search?

Alerts, Outcomes, and Deterrence

WHAT HAPPENED

The supplied hotlist reports show:

• 2024: “No data”—not necessarily zero alerts
• 2025: 511 alerts
• 2026: 2,155 alerts, including 1,250 non-owned custom-hotlist alerts, 508 protection-order alerts, and 309 stolen-plate alerts

An alert is not automatically an arrest or confirmed match. General Order 2-83 requires independent verification before enforcement action.

The Sheriff’s Office also states that it has not conducted a formal crime-deterrence analysis, does not have a dedicated crime analyst, and cannot definitively attribute changes in crime to Flock cameras. It describes faster investigative leads as the system’s principal measurable benefit.

The case-statistics report combines “Investigative Leads/Arrests” and uses values such as “30+” and “40+,” preventing an exact separation of leads, arrests, cases, and outcomes.

SOURCE DOCUMENTS

Hotlist Alerts — 2024; Hotlist Alerts — 2025; Hotlist Alerts — 2026; ALPR General Order 2-83; Crime Deterrence and Investigative Impact Summary; Flock Case Statistics — 2023–2026.

QUESTION RAISED BY THE RECORD

How many alerts were confirmed, suppressed, or determined to be invalid? How many unique cases resulted in stops, arrests, charges, prosecutions, recovered property, or located missing persons?