Two Hampton Roads residents are challenging a system of Norfolk license plate reading cameras in federal court, arguing the cameras violate their constitutional rights.
Norfolk resident Lee Schmidt and Portsmouth resident Crystal Arrington filed the lawsuit in federal court Monday in Norfolk. The plaintiffs argue the Flock Safety camera system — dozens of city traffic cameras that automatically snap pictures of license plates and upload them to a online database — amounts to a search and requires a warrant under the Fourth Amendment.
“I don’t like the government following my every movement and treating me like a criminal suspect when they have no reason to believe I’ve done anything wrong,” Lee, a 42-year-old Navy veteran, said in a news release.
Norfolk installed 172 automatic license plate reading cameras in mid-2023. The cameras automatically snap pictures of license plates and use machine learning to upload vehicle details into an online database. Any police department with a Flock subscription can then access that information without a search warrant if approved by Norfolk police.