Critics Urge Fairfax County to End Its License Plate Reader Program as Alexandria and Arlington Pull Back
Civil rights advocates pressed the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this week to end the county's relationship with Flock Safety and remove its license plate readers, as neighboring Alexandria ends its program and Arlington faces criticism from both sides after cutting its own contract.
Civil rights advocates pressed the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on October 27 to end the local government's relationship with Flock Safety, remove its license plate readers and not replace them with similar equipment, FFXnow reported. "Mass surveillance does not reduce violent crime or deter serious offenses," said Christian Martinez Lemus, representing We Are CASA, at the supervisors' public comment session. "The solution isn't a new contract," he said. "The solution is ending automated mass tracking."
Other speakers said there is no guarantee police data would never be shared informally with federal immigration enforcement, and questioned whether the readers solve crimes that would not be solved anyway, FFXnow reported. Fairfax County's Trust Policy, in effect since 2021, prohibits county employees from sharing information with or assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless required by law or a court order. Supervisors did not address the issue on October 27; the board voted in September not to install any additional Flock cameras until it could discuss the topic in more detail, and at an October 20 committee meeting county public safety staff made the case for the readers as critical tools for addressing crime, to some skepticism from elected officials. No decision was made about the future of the police program, which has been in place since 2022, FFXnow reported.
Fairfax is not alone. Alexandria leaders announced this week that the city was ending its Flock program, and Falls Church's city manager said on October 26 that the city operates no automated license plate readers and has no intention of introducing them, FFXnow reported. In Arlington, where the County Board ended the county's Flock relationship in September, board members were criticized on October 26 both for going too far and for not going far enough, and Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said local leaders would commit to a public process going forward.
