Appomattox County sheriff suspends Flock contract over data discrepancies and retention concerns

First reported: September 3, 2026 · 1 source

Appomattox County Sheriff Robby Richardson said he suspended the sheriff's office contract with Flock Safety after finding discrepancies in the company's data while preparing for a town hall on the license plate readers. Richardson said daily vehicle counts reported by the cameras did not match the total reported over a 21-day period, and that Flock retained data a week longer than Virginia code allows. The town hall, scheduled for Wednesday evening, was canceled about an hour before it was to begin. Richardson said he still considers the technology a useful law enforcement tool but lost confidence in the information he received from Flock.

Why this matters

The suspension turned on an agency's own audit of vendor-supplied data and retention practices, illustrating how routine verification can surface compliance questions that other jurisdictions may not have checked.

Key facts

Sheriff Robby Richardson said the Appomattox County Sheriff's Office suspended its Flock Safety contract.
He said daily camera counts did not reconcile with totals over a 21-day period, and that Flock stored data one week longer than allowed under Virginia code.
A town hall on the cameras was canceled roughly an hour before its scheduled start.
Richardson said he remains confident in the technology itself but not in the data provided by the company.
The sheriff said no one currently has access to the cameras and the county is determining how to physically remove them; Flock's response to the allegations was not reported.

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Appomattox sheriff suspends Flock camera contract after questioning data, storage practice (WSET, September 3, 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 September 6, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.