The Richmond Police Department is committed to transparency and protecting the information we collect to keep our community safe. We want to share an update regarding our Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system operated by Flock Safety.
Since its inception in April 2023, ALPR data has become an essential investigative tool for both patrol officers and detectives conducting follow-up investigations, providing significant public-safety benefits. ALPR data has directly contributed to:
- The arrest of over 272 individuals involved in criminal activity
- The identification of a suspect vehicle in 12 separate homicide cases
- The recovery of over 258 stolen vehicles
- More than 889 cases where ALPR information directly led to the identification of a suspect or suspect vehicle
- Alerted officers to the presence of over 6,670 stolen vehicles in our city
- Alerted officers to the presence of over 759 vehicles that were wanted for felony crimes in our city
These outcomes demonstrate how the responsible use of technology helps us solve crimes, locate dangerous offenders, and support victims. Without the ALPR data provided by Flock, many of these cases, including murder cases, would most likely remain unsolved.
Earlier this year, Flock Safety notified us of a system configuration error that allowed certain external law enforcement agencies to run very limited, specific license-plate searches that could have revealed small portions of Richmond’s ALPR data. This was not full-system access and affected only narrow, plate-specific queries.
The issue was unintentional and was disabled immediately upon discovery. ALPR data is only stored for 30 days, and at this time, we have no evidence that any outside agency viewed or misused Richmond’s data, including for immigration enforcement. Because multiple agencies were affected, we temporarily turned off our ALPR system until Flock Safety provides verified safeguards and assurances to prevent future issues.
The Richmond Police Department will continue to use technology responsibly and transparently, in a manner that aligns with our community’s expectations and enhances our ability to solve crimes and keep residents safe. We remain committed to protecting your privacy, being transparent, and using technology in ways that reflect Richmond’s values and expectations. We look forward to implementing enhanced safeguards and reactivating our ALPR system so it can continue to provide valuable investigative leads, hold offenders accountable, and deliver justice for victims and their families.
Information released by the Richmond Police Department
City of Richmond 2025 Crime Statistics
| Citywide Index Crimes 2025 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | YTD Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murder | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Negligent Manslaughter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Justifiable Homicide | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Sexual Assault | 5 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 17 | 11 | 21 | 128 | |
| Robbery | 25 | 27 | 29 | 20 | 26 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 22 | 10 | 16 | 225 | |
| Aggravated Assault | 80 | 47 | 66 | 79 | 65 | 61 | 61 | 66 | 71 | 53 | 80 | 729 | |
| Burglary | 28 | 23 | 35 | 32 | 25 | 24 | 33 | 45 | 28 | 23 | 39 | 335 | |
| Larceny-Theft | 133 | 112 | 123 | 116 | 126 | 137 | 171 | 129 | 104 | 66 | 82 | 1,299 | |
| Vehicle-Theft | 72 | 57 | 88 | 59 | 55 | 73 | 78 | 60 | 79 | 55 | 103 | 779 | |
| Arson | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 34 | |
| Index Crime Totals | 347 | 279 | 358 | 322 | 310 | 332 | 375 | 323 | 322 | 219 | 346 | 3,533 |
Related
- Nov 2023, 2025 – Antioch Gets Update on Public Safety Cameras
- March 13, 2025 – Brentwood Agrees to Add 32 Flock License Plate Reader Cameras
- July 2024 – CHP Announces First Arrest Using State-of-the-Art Smart Flock Cameras in Bay Area