NORFOLK, Va. — A Virginia appeals court has ruled that Norfolk police did not need a search warrant to access data from the city’s network of Flock Safety cameras, a decision that could influence ongoing debates about the technology’s use statewide.
In an unpublished opinion released October 14, the Virginia Court of Appeals reversed a Norfolk Circuit Court decision that had suppressed evidence obtained through the cameras, which automatically record license plates across the city.
The case, Commonwealth v. Ronnie D. Church, centered on whether accessing Flock data to track a vehicle’s movements amounts to an unconstitutional search under the Fourth Amendment. The lower court had ruled police should have obtained a warrant before using the system…