See The Flock Camera Maps Published By Alexandria's Police Department

The Alexandria Police Department has published two maps showing the locations of its Flock cameras and their relationship to some crimes.

By Michelle Witte, Patch Staff

Oct 2, 2026 9:44 AM EDT

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Alexandria's police department has published two maps of its automatic license plate reader cameras in the city and provided more details about their impact.

The Alexandria Police Department promised to publish a map of its Flock cameras by Oct. 1, and it appeared on the department's license plate reader dashboard as promised.

The first map shows the locations of cameras overlaid on a map of police beats and roads, though few roads of any size are named and no intersections are provided. Most of the cameras are concentrated along the city's borders and follow major thoroughfares.

APD also published a map of Flock cameras overlaid on a heat map showing incidents of car theft, also in response to a question from the City Council.

The department writes, "APD recovers stolen vehicles and tags through a variety of methods, including officer observations, citizen reports, and investigative activity. APD recovered 395 stolen vehicles and tags from March 2023 through January 2026, 134 of which were a direct result of APD's use of ALPR technology."

The APD's map only shows the department's Flock cameras – other open-source maps show more, as there appear to be cameras contracted to other entities in the city.

APD has been responding to requests from the council and Mayor Alyia Gaskins about its use of the technology. The mayor and some council members have called for the department to end its use of the technology.

Automatic license plate reader cameras have become controversial across the country due to concerns about privacy rights, misidentification and potential misuse by law enforcement. Many locations in Northern Virginia are currently ending or debating their use.

At a community listening session at the end of September, Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire told residents that license plate reader cameras aren't proven to reduce crime, but rather that their value lies in helping investigators develop leads, the Alexandria Brief reported.

See more: Arlington County Board Orders End To Flock Camera Use

See more: Here's How To Know If You've Been 'Flocked' In VA