Documented Incident
Alexandria police to publish ALPR camera map and begin third-party surveillance audit Oct. 1
Event: September 28, 2026 · First reported: September 28, 2026 · 7 sources
The Alexandria Police Department said it will post a map of its automated license plate reader locations by Oct. 1, the same date an independent review of its surveillance programs is set to begin. The commitments came in an FAQ the department published answering questions raised at the Sept. 8 City Council meeting, where Mayor Alyia Gaskins said she does not see a role for Flock cameras in the city and two other council members agreed. APD said it operates 61 fixed ALPRs, can cancel its Flock contract at any time, and is evaluating alternative vendors on no set timeline. Critics with the new group DeFlock ALX say the FAQ offers no timeline or concrete steps toward shutting the cameras down.
Alexandria is weighing disclosure and independent review rather than termination, while neighboring Arlington and Fairfax have moved to discontinue, suspend, or ban ALPRs — making the region a test of whether audits and transparency portals satisfy local oversight demands.
Key facts
- APD reports 61 operational fixed ALPRs, plus 628 body cameras, 70 in-car cameras, 43 public safety camera systems (11 inoperable), 10 vehicle-mounted parking ALPRs, six red-light cameras and seven school-zone speed cameras.
- The department says 56 instances of camera use were flagged for additional review and states data was never misused for an improper or unauthorized purpose.
- Ohio State criminologist Robin Engel, already reviewing APD traffic stops and use of force, is finalizing an agreement to add the ALPR program as a third area of independent assessment.
- APD did not answer council questions about the time period, total search volume, or methodology behind its cited figures of 266 arrests, 134 stolen vehicles recovered, 14 firearms seized and 20 missing persons located.
- A second community listening session was scheduled for Oct. 7, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Patrick Henry Recreation Center.
Timeline
- September 28, 2026Alexandria police to publish map of Flock camera locations, conduct surveillance systems audit
- September 29, 2026Alexandria to release map of all Flock camera locations as scrutiny continues
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Alexandria police to publish map of Flock camera locations, conduct surveillance systems audit (ALXnow, September 28, 2026)
- Alexandria to release map of all Flock camera locations as scrutiny continues (NBC4 Washington, September 29, 2026)
- Alexandria to release map of all Flock camera locations (FOX 5 DC, October 1, 2026)
- Alexandria to release map of all Flock camera locations (FOX 5 DC, October 1, 2026)
- Alexandria police to make map of Flock camera locations public (fox5dc.com, September 29, 2026)
- Alexandria police release map of 61 Flock camera locations amid public scrutiny (DC News Now, October 2, 2026)
- Alexandria shares map of all Flock camera locations amid privacy concerns (Yahoo, October 1, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated October 4, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.