The Henrico County Police Division continues to invest in state-of-the-art technology to promote public safety.
What are Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras?
Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras are self-contained, motion-activated devices that send a real-time alert to law enforcement when a vehicle associated with a crime or missing persons case is detected by a camera.
The Police Division currently contracts with a vendor – Flock Safety – to install and maintain ALPR cameras. Flock Safety is a vendor approved for law-enforcement use by the Commonwealth of Virginia and meets all of the state’s criteria for information security, data retention, data accuracy, audit standards, and access restrictions.
How does this technology work?
The Police Division currently uses Flock Safety’s [Falcon] ALPR cameras (shown in the image). These ALPR cameras, which are stationary and typically installed in the medians alongside public roads, are motion-activated and capture photos at the location of the device. The equipment captures license plates and vehicle attributes (e.g., make, body type, and color of the vehicle) on public roadways, not personal characteristics such as the gender or race of the driver or passengers. The pictures collected by the ALPR cameras are stored on a cloud server for 21 days before they are permanently deleted, unless kept as evidence for court. By Virginia law (Va. Code §2.2-5517), the data is never sold or shared with third parties, including federal agencies.
The Flock Safety ALPR cameras used by Henrico Police are not used for traffic or parking enforcement and its database is not tied into the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) systems.
License plates that are “read” by the camera are compared with law enforcement databases (e.g., NCIC-VA State Police Hotlists and National Center for Exploited and Missing Children – NCMEC) to check for stolen or wanted status. In addition, Henrico Police is permitted by state law to use data captured by the camera only for purposes of conducting a criminal investigation into an alleged violation of a state or county offense, or as part of an active investigation into a missing/endangered person or human trafficking case. Henrico Police conducts monthly audits of the use of its system. Intentional use for an unauthorized purpose violates Virginia Code §2.2-5517 and is punishable by a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Businesses and homeowner’s associations (HOA) that have purchased their own ALPR cameras through Flock Safety may grant Henrico Police permission to access the data in the event of a crime.
Who is the data shared with?
Henrico Police shares data with other law-enforcement agencies within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Henrico Police does not share data with federal agencies, law-enforcement agencies outside of the Commonwealth of Virginia, or private or commercial entities. The designs of the Flock systems are ‘privacy-by-design’ independently assessed by Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS), SOC2 Type II, and ISO 27001 best practices. Furthermore, Henrico Police has enabled a blocking feature that prevents searches for immigration/reproductive care reasons.
Vendor Contracts
In 2022, the Division entered into a contract with Flock Safety to purchase and install ALPR cameras in the county. Since then, Henrico Police has renewed its contract annually.
2026-2027 Renewal Contract
June 30, 2026 Flock Safety Amendment No. 1
The Henrico County Police Division amended its contract with Flock Safety to comply with Virginia Code § 2.2-5517. By this contract amendment, Flock certifies, among other things, that its system meets state law requirements for information security, data retention, data accuracy, audit standards, and access restrictions.
2025-2026 Renewal Contract
2024-2025 Renewal Contract
2023-2024 Renewal Contract
2022-2023 Contract (original)
Where are ALPRs located in Henrico County?
All of Henrico Police’s stationary Flock Safety ALPR cameras are placed on county right-of-way property or private property with the owner’s consent.
Henrico maintains 3,682 lane miles of roadway, excluding 700 miles of VDOT maintained roadways. Henrico’s cameras are not on VDOT roads and interstates.
- 1 mile = 5,280 feet
- 3,682 lane miles of roadway = 19,440,960 feet of roadway
Each Flock Safety ALPR can capture up to 75-feet of roadway. With 122 active cameras, the system covers a total of 9,150 feet of roadway. That equates to 1.73 miles of roadway, or .05% of Henrico’s roadways.
Number of cameras based on Magisterial District
| MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT | NUMBER OF ALPR CAMERAS (Stationary) |
|---|---|
| Brookland | 20 |
| Fairfield | 22 |
| Three Chopt | 25 |
| Tuckahoe | 20 |
| Varina | 29 |
How are camera locations selected?
The Henrico Police Criminal Intelligence Unit compiles crime offense and police call data to identify areas where Part I Crimes occur. Part I Crimes include: Homicide, Rape, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny, and Auto Theft. Based on Part I Crime data, ALPRs are oftentimes places in areas where these incidents have occurred.
Additionally, because crime has no boundaries and offenders may live outside the county, points of ingress/egress to Henrico were also examined to provide alerts for vehicles entering or leaving the county.
Success with the technology
Henrico Police’s use of the Flock Safety ALPR cameras has demonstrated their value in promoting public safety. In the first week of use, a Flock ALPR captured an image of a vehicle connected to a shooting in a neighborhood off E. Laburnum Avenue. As a result of this technology, detectives found the vehicle within five hours of the incident, and quickly identified the suspect through other investigative means. Other examples of how ALPRs have been used to promote public safety are detailed below.
2026
Tuckahoe Magisterial District: 01.29.26 Shoplifting (W. Broad Street/Horsepen Road)
A thief was identified within days after a shoplifting call at a big box retailer near W. Broad Street and Horsepen Road. The suspect was stopped by a loss prevention agent in the store parking lot as he walked to a nearby vehicle. The suspect fled in a vehicle eluding detention by loss prevention. The vehicle description was given to Henrico Police who in turn used Flock to generate a lead in the case. This suspect was tied to another larceny in Ashland, VA and an additional license plate theft in Henrico based on the information in the Flock system. A larceny warrant of arrest was obtained. Call to Arrest Warrant: Three days
Varina Magisterial District: 04.12.26 Multi-Homicide Suspect from Richmond
A triple homicide occurred on 5th Avenue in the City of Richmond where the male suspect shot and killed his ex-partner and her two children. A RPD bulletin was shared with area police and Henrico Police were alerted to the suspect vehicle in the White Oak Shopping Center from a privately-owned Flock ALPR camera. Suspect was arrested following a police pursuit. Call to Arrest Time: Eight hours
Tuckahoe Magisterial District: May 2025 – May 2026 (Deep Run Park)
From May 2022 to May 2023, 37 larcenies from vehicles were reported at Deep Run Park. Since installation of an ALPR camera in May 2023, larcenies from vehicles have decreased annually in the park; 14 offenses were reported between 2023-2024, 13 offenses in 2024-2025, and zero offenses in 2025-2026.
Brookland Magisterial District: 07.13.26 Missing/Endangered Person
A resident sent a text to a relative indicating that she might harm herself. She then left her residence, armed with a handgun in a vehicle. Police were provided with the vehicle information, which was then queried in the Flock ALPR system. Police saw that the specific vehicle image was captured by a Flock camera on Hungary Spring Road. Officers located the vehicle and the resident, and connected her immediately with mental health services. Call to Located Person Time: One hour 30 minutes
Varina Magisterial District: 07.20.26 Robbery (5200 block S. Laburnum Avenue)
There were two robberies of Vape Smoke Shops, one in the City of Richmond and one in Henrico County. Officers collaborated with Richmond Police to obtain a photo of their suspect who similarly matched the Henrico suspect. Using Flock, Police identified the vehicle’s license plate, which was shared with officers in the area. After the vehicle was located on Eanes Lane, the driver – still wearing the same clothing in both robberies – was stopped and arrested. Call to Arrest Time: Less than seven hours
2025
Three Chopt Magisterial District: 01.08.25 Robbery (10900 block W. Broad Street)
The robbery occurred in which the suspect put a gun to the head of the victim and demanded money. The suspect fled the building and into the parking lot. A vehicle description with license plate was given. Using Flock, the officers developed suspects of interest and obtained warrants that led to the arrest of two individuals. Call to Arrest Time: Three months
Fairfield Magisterial District: 10.29.25 Fatal Hit-and-Run Crash (Laburnum Avenue & Richmond-Henrico Turnpike)
A pedestrian in a crosswalk on Laburnum Avenue was struck by a dark SUV that fled the scene. The victim was transported to a hospital and was pronounced deceased. Flock was used to develop a lead based on the vehicle description and time of the crash. Subsequently, a suspect was developed, and the vehicle was located nearby. The suspect was located, confessed to being involved in the crash, and was arrested. Call to Arrest Time: Two hours and 50 minutes
Transparency
Henrico County Police Division Policy
For more information about Henrico Police’s policy regarding Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs), community members are encouraged to visit the Division’s policy webpage. In addition, every Division employee authorized to access the Flock Safety system must sign an agreement affirming their commitment to follow all ALPR use requirements as outlined by Virginia state law.
Audits
Henrico Police conducts an internal audit at least once every 30 days to ensure authorized use of ALPR data and compliance with state law.
In addition, Virginia Code §2.2-5517 requires Henrico Police to report on its use of ALPR systems by April 1 of each year to the Virginia State Police (VSP). Virginia State Police is then responsible for aggregating the data received from all law-enforcement agencies and reporting the aggregated data to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Virginia State Crime Commission by July 1 of each year. The first VSP report will be available in July 2027.
Transparency Portal
Henrico Police shares usage statistics with the public via a “transparency portal.” Statistics on this portal are updated daily.
Frequently Asked Questions
License plates, vehicle attributes (make, model, color)
The system data (i.e., the pictures collected by the ALPR cameras) is kept for 21 days before it is permanently deleted, unless the data is needed as evidence for court. Each search requires a law enforcement justification per Virginia Code §2.2-5517, and is permanently recorded in an audit trail; the data is never sold or shared with third parties, to include federal agencies.
Henrico Police shares data with law enforcement agencies only within the Commonwealth of Virginia. The data is never sold or shared with third parties, to include federal agencies. Henrico Police has enabled the blocking feature that prevents searches for immigration/reproductive care reasons.
Yes, data captured via these cameras are used to help generate leads in an investigation. The officer or detective is then required to follow-up on that lead utilizing other investigative resources available within the division.
No, the cameras are not capable of traffic or parking enforcement. This data is also not tied into the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) systems.