Harrisonburg, VA
The Harrisonburg City Council voted 4-0 on July 28, 2026 to adopt a resolution terminating the city's contract with Flock Group, Inc., directing staff to stop using the city's fixed automatic license plate recognition system within seven days and to work with Flock to remove the cameras. The resolution states that the council determined the benefits of the fixed camera system were outweighed by concerns about privacy, equity, data security and public trust. Harrisonburg Police Department had been using 31 Flock-owned ALPRs.
What moved this decision
- Council finding that privacy, equity, data security and public trust concerns outweighed the system’s benefits
- Organizing by the group DeFlock Harrisonburg
- Council had pledged on July 14, 2026 to end the contract before formally voting
What happened afterwards
The system went dark on Friday, July 31, 2026, and City Manager Ande Banks said the city would remove cameras itself if removal took too long. The council also adopted a policy prohibiting mounted ALPRs without express council approval at a public meeting and funding through the annual budget process. The council did not adopt the broader ordinance DeFlock Harrisonburg sought, which would have guaranteed public comment before contracting with any new mass surveillance vendor.
What we still don’t know
These are the records we would need to describe this decision completely. If you can help obtain them, or already have them, get in touch.
- Whether the 31 cameras were physically removed and on what date
- Whether any termination fee was paid to Flock Group, Inc.
- Whether a future council adopts the broader public-comment ordinance advocates sought