YORK COUNTY – On Thursday, Sept. 10, York County and Poquoson residents will have the opportunity to learn about Flock cameras at a 6 p.m. forum, hosted by the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office at its Community Room.
According to the county’s Sept. 4 newsletter, the forum will provide information on how Flock cameras work, the data they capture, how it is used, the privacy safeguards in place, its limitations and address common questions and misconceptions.
“There’s a lot of chatter about it in the community, in the media,” said Shelley Ward, the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office public information officer. “There are a lot of misconceptions about Flock, and the sheriff wants to talk about them … to explain how Flock is used, how it can be beneficial, and clear up anyone’s questions that they have about it.”
Since January, the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office has used the Flock Transparency Portal website, which lists the number of Flock cameras, unique license plate reads, as well as user searches. It does not list Flock camera locations.
According to the site, there are 42 license plate reader and other cameras in York County and three in Poquoson, which Sheriff Ron Montgomery said includes two portable cameras and one trailer camera.
“They are one of the most important pieces of advancement in technology for police work,” he said.
Facebook users expressed discontent with Flock cameras on the sheriff’s office’s post announcing the forum, with many voicing concerns about law enforcement misusing the system and privacy violations.
Virginia law requires monthly audits of who has accessed Flock data, which are then sent to the Virginia State Police. The sheriff says YPSO does audits weekly. If someone runs a plate multiple times, Flock will flag it, the sheriff said, adding that misuse of the system can result in suspensions.
The sheriff emphasized that Thursday’s forum will be focused solely on providing information and answering questions, not to take a stance on Flock cameras.
“My goal tomorrow night is to educate,” he said.
As part of the forum, he will give a demonstration on how Flock cameras work, including examples of the information captured.
While residents will be able to ask questions, they must fill out the provided index cards beforehand that the sheriff will answer at the end of the forum. There will be no public comment period.
