MEDIA ADVISORY: Lynchburg Better Together Statement on LPD’s Pause of Flock Cameras

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2026
Contact: team@lynchburgbettertogether.org

Lynchburg, VA — The Lynchburg Better Together slate of City Council candidates released the following statement after the Lynchburg Police Department announced it would temporarily pause the city’s fifteen fixed Flock Automatic License Plate Recognition cameras while an independent third-party review is completed.

“We appreciate Chief Edwards and LPD for taking community concerns seriously,” said Dave Henderson. “Pausing the cameras while an independent review is done is a smart step, and it gives the city a chance to have a fuller conversation about how this technology is being used.”

The candidates said they support giving police the tools they need to investigate serious crimes and keep residents safe, while also recognizing that residents have fair questions about privacy, data access, and transparency.

“LPD has a hard job, and we want our officers to have effective tools to do that job well,” said Christina Delzingaro. “But when any technology collects and stores information, people deserve to understand the rules around that — who can access the data, how long it is kept, how it is shared, and how misuse is prevented.”

Virginia’s new ALPR law provides important safeguards, including limits on use, data retention requirements, audit trails, and restrictions on how ALPR alerts may be used. LPD’s transparency portal is also a helpful step. The candidates said the city now has an opportunity to build on those safeguards in a way that strengthens public trust.

“This does not need to be a fight between public safety and privacy,” said Nat Marshall. “Lynchburg can support good policing and still ask good questions. In fact, transparency helps everyone — residents, officers, city staff, and future City Council members.”

The Lynchburg Better Together candidates said they would support four practical next steps.

1. Make the independent review process transparent. The city should explain who is conducting the review, what questions they are being asked to answer, what materials they will examine, whether residents can provide input, and when the review will be completed. The final report should be made public, subject to any legally required redactions.

2. Make the Flock contract public. The city should release the contract, terms and conditions, amendments, data-sharing provisions, renewal terms, and vendor obligations, subject to any legally required redactions.

3 Create a public discussion process. City Council should hold a public hearing and invite additional discussion through relevant boards, commissions, neighborhood groups, and community-police partnerships.

4. Develop a five-year public safety technology plan. LPD and city staff should explain how Flock cameras and similar tools would be used, how effectiveness would be measured, what privacy safeguards would apply, and what criteria Council would use to renew, expand, limit, or discontinue the program.

Lynchburg Better Together believes this pause is an opportunity to slow down, listen carefully, and make a better-informed decision. Public safety and public trust should move together, and the city’s next steps should reflect both.

###