Cumberland County Is Tracking You. Cancel the Flock Contract.

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The Issue

Cumberland County, Virginia is a Second Amendment Sanctuary but they are a Fourth Amendment Hazard. A network of cameras is logging Cumberland County residents, tracking where they go, when, and how often, without a warrant and without you ever knowing. Feeding it back to Cumberland's Sheriff's Office, just short of a live stream of your personal life. 

Here's how Cumberland Sheriff's Office is doing it according to GO 610 (August 3, 2026 edit):

They don't need a reason to track you. Deputies can run your plate through the system with no reasonable suspicion and no probable cause. Virginia law requires one before your movements can be logged. 

Your data can be kept forever. State law caps how long this data can be stored, 21 days, unless it's tied to an active investigation. Cumberland is holding our data indefinitely, with no defined limit on what counts as worth keeping.

Federal agencies get blanket access. Virginia law bans sharing this data with federal or out-of-state agencies. Cumberland grants access to any federal agency, as a general rule.

No real oversight. State law requires a full audit of the system every 30 days. Cumberland only reviews part of it once a quarter. The rest goes unchecked.

A federal court case challenging a similar Flock camera network in Norfolk, Virginia is currently on appeal, the legal ground under programs like this is shakier than officials are letting on. Other Virginia towns have already ended their Flock contracts. Cumberland County can too.

We're calling on the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors and Sheriff's Office to:

Cancel the Flock Safety contract now.

Ban the use of ALPR cameras and similar mass-surveillance technology in Cumberland County.

Require a public vote before any future surveillance camera program is even considered.

This isn't anti-police. It's about a surveillance program that tracks every citizen in this county with no warrant and no accountability, Cumberland residents deserve to know who's watching their private lives. 

Sign this petition and share it with your neighbors. Say flock off to illegal surveillance.

avatar of the starter
Robert CharlesPetition Starter
Media inquiries

The Decision Makers

Cumberland County Board
5 Members
1 Responded
Bryan Hamlet
Bryan Hamlet
Cumberland County Board - District 1
“[Note: Change.org provides a tool that allows petition starters and supporters to email decision makers directly from our platform. The message below is a response sent in reply to one of these emails from the petition starter.] Chuck, Thank you for contacting me and for sharing your petition. I have reviewed it, and I share many of the concerns raised regarding privacy, government surveillance, data retention, information sharing, and the tracking of citizens who are not suspected of any crime. To be clear, I am adamantly opposed to the use of Flock cameras in Cumberland County. I did not vote to approve a Flock contract, nor have I located any Board vote expressly identifying or authorizing such a contract. The only potentially related action I have found occurred on May 16, 2024, when the Board appropriated $12,500 in H.E.A.T. grant funds for the “purchase of cameras.” I was absent from that meeting, and the minutes do not identify those cameras as Flock cameras or automated license-plate readers. The Sheriff is an independently elected constitutional officer, and I respect the independence of his office and do not intend to interfere with legitimate law-enforcement operations. At the same time, the use of technology capable of recording and creating a searchable history of people’s movements raises serious public-policy and constitutional concerns. Respecting the Sheriff’s authority does not require the Board—or the public—to remain silent about those concerns. I believe Cumberland residents deserve clear answers regarding: • If one exists, who entered into and signed the Flock contract; • How many cameras are operating and how they were funded; • Whether the contract automatically renews; • How long information is retained; • Which agencies or private entities can access Cumberland’s data; • What auditing and warrant requirements govern searches; and • Whether the Board will be asked to appropriate funds for continued operation. I intend to seek those answers and determine what authority the Board has regarding future appropriations, renewals, and county contracting procedures. I also believe the Sheriff should hear directly from citizens who oppose this system and should publicly explain the safeguards, policies, and justification for its continued use. Thank you for bringing this matter forward and for encouraging public discussion. I will keep your petition and the concerns of its signers in mind as I continue examining the issue. (Edit: I reached out to Sheriff Hodges before sending this email. After speaking with him I believe the contract is signed by his office (not the County of Cumberland ) and funding for the flock contract comes through grant funds.) Respectfully, Bryan Hamlet Supervisor| District 1 Cumberland County Board of Supervisors bhamlet@cumberlandcounty.virginia.gov”
John Newman
John Newman
Cumberland County Board - District 2
Robert Saunders
Robert Saunders
Cumberland County Board - District 5

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Petition created on September 2, 2026