VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach is the latest city in Hampton Roads to add stationary license plate reader cameras.
Chief Paul Neudigate told News 3 they’ve had this type of technology in patrol cars for close to a year and a half, but the fixed ones are more efficient.
He said they have almost 20 already installed at intersections across the city and will have a total of 25.
Virginia Beach
VBPD equip some cars with launching GPS tracker to prevent dangerous car chases
When asked if these help solve crimes, Neudigate responded, “Unequivocally, 100% yes. I’ve got 24 examples of crimes that we have solved recently or led to significant investigative updates because of those Flock cameras in just the past probably six weeks.”
The ACLU has spoken out, calling for restrictions. Chris Kaiser, Policy Director for the ACLU of Virginia talked with News 3 reporter Angela Bohon.
He also sent the following statement:
“ALPRs aren’t just any security cameras: they’re high-tech devices that would allow police to collect data on the destination of every car that drives by without requiring a warrant, even outside of Virginia. During the 2024 General Assembly session, lawmakers from both parties supported strict regulations. That’s because there’s no evidence that ALPRs reduce crime—but plenty of evidence that they open up Virginians to highly invasive mass surveillance.”
Watch previous coverage: Virginia Beach police equip some cruisers with launching GPS tracker to prevent dangerous car chases
“The data that is captured is only used for criminal investigative purposes," Chief Neudigate stressed. "It’s not used for anything else. After 30 days of the data being captured, if it is not identified as being a part of a criminal investigation, it’s purged from the system.”
Flock Safety, the company behind the camera systems, reports that just last week in Smithfield, police used footage from a license plate reader to identify the suspect vehicle in a road rage shooting. They say about an hour and a half later, officers stopped the suspect and arrested him.
