Harrisonburg City Council votes to end contract with Flock Safety
Harrisonburg City Council voted 4-0 on 29 July 2026 to terminate the city's contract with Flock Safety, with City Manager Ande Banks confirming the fixed licence plate recognition systems would go dark that Friday. Mayor Deanna Reed, Vice Mayor Dany Fleming and council members Laura Dent and Monica Robinson all voted for termination, upholding a pledge the council made on 16 July. The local group DeFlock Harrisonburg celebrated the vote but is not calling it finished: the council declined to adopt an ordinance barring future surveillance contracts, and member Giles Eanes said "We are not finished until we have an ordinance passed." Camera removal has no fixed deadline; Banks said the city would act if the process took too long.
From the reporting
- The vote was 4-0 with no dissent, on 29 July 2026, following a 16 July pledge to end the contract.
- City Manager Ande Banks: "the contract with Flock Safety will end, and systems will go dark on Friday."
- No fixed timeline for physical removal; the city says it will step in if removal drags.
- The council declined to pass an ordinance prohibiting future surveillance contracts, which DeFlock Harrisonburg is still seeking.
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