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Active · Investigation · Reviewed October 9, 2026

Flock cameras and Drone as First Responder

Archived camera agreements and drone orders show the procurement trail. Delivery, payments and operating results still need their own records.

Overview

This collection connects the City’s Flock Falcon camera agreement, a later Condor camera order and the Drone as First Responder contract. It follows what was contracted or ordered, then asks for the separate records that establish implementation, actual payments and how the systems are used.

Source notes

The collection covers dated procurement records. Camera and drone products, contract periods, ordered prices and actual payments must remain distinct. It does not establish a current equipment count, go-live date, surveillance outcome or policy violation. Contributions should use lawfully released public records and omit private investigative or personal data.

Documents (20)

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20 of 20 reviewed records. Source links and release indexes are identified separately from archived copies.

Timeline

Dates follow the cited records; document dates are labeled separately.

  1. October 30, 2021

    City signs the Falcon camera agreement

    The signed order form lists 30 Falcon cameras at $2,500 each annually, plus $7,500 in implementation fees: $82,500 for year one and $75,000 recurring annually. It sets a 24-month initial term with three optional 12-month renewal periods. This historical order is not a count of cameras operating today.

  2. October 24, 2024

    A later order covers Condor cameras

    The approved archive includes City purchase order 20251934 for Flock Condor cameras. An order identifies a procurement step; delivery, acceptance and payment require additional evidence.

  3. December 19, 2025

    Drone contract identifies a flight-based start

    Contract 26-1342-00 names Flock Safety for the Drone as First Responder program. Its term starts after a successful drone flight mutually agreed by the City and contractor. The effective date on the contract alone does not establish that the first operational flight occurred.

  4. December 31, 2025

    Drone order lists three subscription years

    Purchase order 20262174 lists $680,000 for year one and $980,000 each for years two and three. Its notes tie annual invoicing to the first successful flight. These are order terms, not evidence that those annual amounts have been invoiced or paid.

News story

Flock in Newport News: The money, the impact and the oversight

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Open questions

Records still needed (3)

  • Renewals, invoices and actual payments

    Executed renewals or amendments, itemized camera and drone invoices, credits and corresponding payment ledger entries.

    Likely custodian: City Purchasing, Finance and Police

    An agreement or order amount is not the same as spending to date.

    Submit this record

  • Installation and operational acceptance

    Dated installation and acceptance records, current equipment inventory and relevant public permits, plus the mutually agreed first successful drone-flight record.

    Likely custodian: City Police, Purchasing and Engineering

    Historical quantities and contract dates do not establish present deployment or the subscription start.

    Submit this record

  • Use, retention and measured results

    Dated public operating policies, aggregate usage and outcome reports, retention and access-review summaries, and any public compliance or performance review.

    Likely custodian: City Police and the City’s records custodian

    Procurement documents alone cannot establish operational effectiveness or compliance in practice.

    Submit this record