FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 14, 2023
CPD to Meet with Community Stakeholders to Discuss FLOCK Safety Program
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - With the association between our stolen vehicles, shots fired calls, and homicides, CPD proposes to implement the FLOCK License Plate Recognition (LPR) system as a proven tool to assist in deterring and solving crime.
This is an extremely useful tool in helping us locate missing, endangered, and wanted individuals. In the event that stolen or flagged vehicles (Amber Alert, Wanted Vehicles, etc.) enter the City of Charlottesville, CPD will receive real-time alerts, notifying our officers, allowing us to deter and mitigate crime within our city. The sole purpose of FLOCK is to keep our Charlottesville community safe.
Protecting the privacy of our community is crucial; we want to stress that all data collected by the system will remain strictly confidential. Data captured by the FLOCK system will not be constantly monitored. The still-frame images captured are strictly for official law enforcement purposes only. In most cases, captured data will go unreviewed and will be automatically deleted in 30 days. Still-frame images captured will be restricted to law enforcement purposes only and will NOT be used for the following:
- Facial Recognition
- Personal Identification
- Traffic Enforcement
Anyone who unlawfully abuses their privileges will be reported to the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office and considered for prosecution.
The Executive Director of the Police Civilian Oversight Board, Inez Gonzalez, will be responsible for a regular audit of the FLOCK system. CPD’s Professional Standards Division will be responsible for providing a monthly audit. Together, they will ensure proper, ethical, and lawful use of the Flock Safety Program.
The department will be hosting a series of meetings with local community groups and partners to discuss the FLOCK Safety Program and respond to any questions or concerns.
We would like to emphasize that the program has not been implemented nor has any monetary value been put towards the purchase of FLOCK.
For any inquiries regarding the FLOCK system, please email flockinfo@charlottesville.gov.
Media Contact
Kyle Ervin
Public Safety Information Officer
City of Charlottesville
(434) 326-3043ervinkl@charlottesville.gov
