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Students and residents urge Williamsburg to cancel Flock license-plate reader contract over privacy concerns
Summary
More than a dozen residents, student leaders and advocacy groups told council they want the city to end its contract with Flock Safety, citing a student referendum opposing Flock on campus, a Crime Commission report documenting data-sharing problems, and concerns that data could be accessed by out-of-state or federal agencies.
At the council’s open-forum period on April 9, 2026, a succession of students, residents and community groups urged the city to cancel its contract with Flock Safety, a vendor that operates automatic license-plate readers (ALPRs).
Ella Forland, a William & Mary junior, said more than 1,400 students voted in a March campus referendum opposing Flock and argued the technology poses risks to vulnerable communities. “The only way to effectively protect Williamsburg’s residents from the abuses of Flock is to cancel our contract with this company,” she told council, citing concerns about data sharing and the difficulty of policing how others use the system.
Speakers referenced a January 2026 Virginia Crime Commission report and reporting that some agencies did not comply with the state’s 21-day retention limit or restrictions on sharing ALPR data with federal or out-of-state agencies. Resident Charlie Goodman and several student speakers said the city’s cameras are highly prevalent and form part of a statewide network that could expose local movement data beyond local control.
Student researcher Matthew Espazito presented a route-simulation analysis he said showed very high penetration of ALPR coverage in the city and warned of disproportionate surveillance of marginalized neighborhoods. Representatives from Virginia Organizing delivered petition cards and said more than 500 residents oppose the cameras.
Speakers sometimes acknowledged that William & Mary Police Department officials had said on background the university is handling data carefully, but they argued that compliance by one department does not prevent abuses elsewhere in a statewide network. Several speakers cited examples from other jurisdictions — Stanton and Charlottesville, Va. — that had canceled Flock contracts.
Council did not act on the contract at the meeting. Staff did not present a formal staff recommendation on cancellation during the open forum; several council members encouraged continued public engagement and review of the legal and operational implications.
