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Plate readers © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · © OpenMapTiles
Virginia has 3,408 mapped plate readers. 3,078 carry the Flock Safety tag. Most don't say who runs them.
Norfolk has the most (222), then Virginia Beach (189) and Suffolk (147). The first Flock-tagged one was mapped Nov 13, 2024. A plate reader keeps a record of each car that passes.
See who runs them · Cameras in Virginia · What is a Flock camera? · Flock cameras in the US · Plate reader maps compared
Flock cameras in Virginia by city
A city links to its own page once enough readers are mapped there.
Plate readers mapped in Virginia each month
Plate readers of any maker added to the map each month, not only Flock-tagged ones. Lighter bars are estimates from the first-mapped dates of current points.
CamsAhead started its daily change log on October 22, 2026. How the map changed.
Flock-tagged readers first mapped each month
Each row counts the Flock-tagged readers first mapped that month, newest first. Months with none are left out. Each one carries the date it was first mapped.
| Month | First mapped that month | Top cities |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2026 | 55 | 9 in Portsmouth and 7 in Suffolk |
| Sep 2026 | 107 | 17 in Virginia Beach and 10 in Suffolk |
| Aug 2026 | 321 | 100 in Virginia Beach and 28 in Portsmouth |
| Jul 2026 | 235 | 18 in Virginia Beach and 14 in Suffolk |
| Jun 2026 | 156 | 11 in Suffolk and 8 in Richmond |
| May 2026 | 93 | 5 in Bailey's Crossroads and 4 in Alexandria |
| Apr 2026 | 119 | 36 in Norfolk and 7 in Danville |
| Mar 2026 | 96 | 7 in Dale City and 7 in Martinsville |
| Feb 2026 | 155 | 34 in Richmond and 11 in Alexandria |
| Jan 2026 | 164 | 8 in Alexandria and 7 in Fairfax |
| Dec 2025 | 150 | 9 in Richmond and 6 in Alexandria |
| Nov 2025 | 194 | 41 in Norfolk and 13 in Chesapeake |
Who runs the Flock cameras in Virginia
Most don't say who runs them. The EFF's Atlas of Surveillance lists 149 agencies in Virginia that use plate readers.
- Norfolk Police Department 157
- Private operators, not named 139
- Hampton Police Division 100
- Newport News Police Department 96
- Richmond Police Department 59
- Portsmouth Police Department 52
- Suffolk Police Department 48
- Chesapeake Police Department 36
- Northampton County Sheriff's Office 27
- Virginia Beach Police Department 27
Plate reader law in Virginia
| Topic | Virginia |
|---|---|
| Status | Law |
| Law | Va. Code § 2.2-5517 (Chapter 55.6) |
| What it does | Limits police plate-reader use to criminal investigations, missing or endangered persons and listed alerts, requires state-approved vendors, purges data after 21 days, bars sale and limits sharing. |
| How long it is kept | 21 days for system data; 2 years for audit trail data, unless part of an ongoing investigation, prosecution or civil action (§ 2.2-5517(E)) |
| Who it can be shared with | No sale; no sharing with any database of another state, federal, private or commercial entity; sharing allowed with other law enforcement for listed purposes, prosecutors, defendants in discovery, under court order, with the vendor, or to alert the public (§ 2.2-5517(F)) |
| Public record? | 'shall not be subject to disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act' (§ 2.2-5517(F)) |
| Public records law | Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq. |
| Checked |
See Virginia plate reader law next to the other states.
Flock cameras in Virginia: questions
How many Flock cameras are in Virginia?
3,078 plate readers tagged Flock Safety are on the map in Virginia, as of November 7, 2026. The real number may be higher or lower: the map shows only the cameras mapped so far.
Which cities in Virginia have the most Flock cameras?
By mapped count: Norfolk (222), Virginia Beach (189) and Suffolk (147). The city list on this page shows each city with a Flock-tagged reader.
Is each mapped camera still there?
Not always. A point shows where someone mapped a camera. 88 of the 3,078 carry a date when a volunteer last checked them on the ground.
Virginia's plate reader data
From OpenStreetMap, under the Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0. A free copy goes to anyone who asks: how it is made and how to ask.
Know when cameras in Virginia change.
Free email alerts for new plate readers mapped near your places. One summary email a month.
- When a plate reader is first mapped near you
- New cameras mapped or reported near you
- What plate readers keep, and who runs them
- Your street, your distance, the camera types you pick
3,409 cameras listed or mapped in Virginia so far.
Sources and updates
How this page was made: CamsAhead writes each page type once, then fills it with this place's data from the sources below.
- OpenStreetMap contributors: plate readers, data as of Nov 7, 2026; ODbL 1.0
- EFF Atlas of Surveillance: agencies that use plate readers, data as of Aug 2026; CC BY 4.0
- Va. Code § 2.2-5517 (Chapter 55.6): plate reader law, checked Oct 25, 2026
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Open Government Guide: public records law, checked Oct 25, 2026
Plate reader points are mapped by OpenStreetMap volunteers (data as of November 7, 2026).
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