Documented Incident
Alexandria, Va. police chief halts Flock data sharing with agencies in ICE 287(g) task force program
First reported: September 20, 2026 · 1 source
Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire told a city advisory commission last week that the department has stopped sharing automated license plate reader data with law enforcement agencies holding 287(g) task force agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Alexandria Brief had earlier reported that 11 agencies, all with 287(g) agreements, were removed from the city's Flock Safety sharing list over a period of several days, with department officials initially declining to explain the removals. McGuire said he made the decision after conversations with community members and the city manager, describing it as an executive decision rather than a political one. He also told the commission the department is moving to a different ALPR vendor and asked members to submit a list of five to ten desired safeguards to be shared with vendors under consideration.
The decision illustrates how local agencies can use sharing-list controls to limit downstream use of ALPR data by agencies enforcing federal immigration law, a governance lever other jurisdictions may consider as they weigh network-wide data access.
Key facts
- McGuire said sharing was ended with agencies holding 287(g) 'task force' agreements, which deputize officers for immigration enforcement during patrol; Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, which holds the narrower Warrant Service Officer agreement, remained on the list.
- The Alexandria Brief reported 11 agencies, all with 287(g) agreements, were removed from the sharing list over a period spanning the prior Friday to Tuesday.
- McGuire said roughly 121 million vehicles passed through the city in the past year, and fewer than one hundredth of one percent of plates were queried by Alexandria officers in connection with criminal cases.
- McGuire said departmental audits found clerical errors but no malicious misuse; officers must select an offense category and a case or call number to run a query.
- The commission is advisory only and has no regulatory authority; a June unanimous vote called for a future vote on a motion to suggest canceling the Flock contract, but that item was not on last week's agenda.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Virginia Police Department Cuts Off Flock Camera Data to Agencies Cooperating With ICE (Law Enforcement Today, September 20, 2026)
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Updated September 20, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.