Lynchburg has begun the process of de‑Flocking. On September 3, during a special called meeting where Flock was the sole agenda item, City Council voted to provide notice and revoke the city’s license with the company.
Lynchburg approved Flock in 2023, but Councilwoman Stephanie Reed said the city is now moving in the same direction as neighboring localities—such as Campbell, Appomattox, and Giles counties—which have already taken action to get rid of Flock systems.
“We are now joining with them to reconsider because we’ve listened to the concerns of our citizens, concerns that weren’t prevalent at the time when Flock was voted in but now are,” Reed said.
She expressed a belief that localities originally adopted Flock “with all good intent,” but public sentiment has been a gamechanger and council has a responsibility to address issues as they arise.
“We’ve heard a loud cry from a large portion of our citizens that have deep concerns about this, and we want to take those concerns just like other localities have done,” Reed stated.
Councilman Martin Misjuns questioned when all equipment would be removed and whether the action would include both the Flock cameras and the gunshot‑spotting devices.
On August 19, the Lynchburg Police Department announced an immediate pause in the use of the city’s 15 Flock cameras.
“The decision to temporarily pause the fixed cameras reflects the Department’s willingness to listen to feedback from our community and maintain public trust. It is not the result of any identified misuse,” the department said.
At last week’s meeting, Police Chief Kenneth Edwards said those 15 cameras had already been disabled, covered, and were “essentially offline.” It was his understanding that those were the only devices Council was focused on and those were the devices specifically addressed in the resolution.
Misjuns argued that the broader concern was the presence of any large‑scale surveillance technology.
“The whole debate is that we don’t want a big‑tech, mass‑surveillance system in Lynchburg,” Misjuns said. “Fifty‑five acoustic sensors”—a reference to the shot‑spotters—“are microphones that, with a firmware update, could be listening 24/7/365 for things like ‘hey, I didn’t get vaccinated.’ We all remember how crazy government got during COVID.”
He added that the company attempted to push a firmware update in June allowing detection of “sounds of public distress,” until public backlash halted it.
Misjuns said the Flock systems represent “too much power for government, and it’s definitely too much power for a big‑tech billionaire.”
Councilman Chris Faraldi read language from the resolution stating that “all Flock technology” would be removed from rights‑of‑way and city property.
Mayor Larry Taylor emphasized that “public safety” is the purpose of having such technology. He said he had requested shot‑spotters long ago and referenced a recent shotgun blast he heard.
“Somebody’s out here doing things they have no business doing. And they need to be caught. If we’ve got an instrument to help you do your job—public safety—I think some things we need to keep in place,” he told the sheriff.
Nonetheless, Taylor voted with the rest of council to adopt the resolution, with Faraldi reiterating that the decision applied to the removal of all equipment. Vice Mayor Curt Diemer was not absent.
Misjuns said if the September 3 vote does not accomplish the intended removal, another resolution scheduled for consideration on September 8 should rid Lynchburg of Flock.