Robert Murray asks to move his Flock position to "Ban or remove"
Robert MurrayRepublican candidate for U.S. House in Virginia's 4th District, in an email to Dispute Index
Robert Murray, the Republican candidate for Virginia's 4th congressional district, asked Dispute Index by email to change his answer on Flock-style license plate cameras to "Ban or remove," the tracker's strongest step.
“Please change my answer to "Ban or remove"”
Emailed statement
Read the full email
2) Please change my answer to "Ban or remove"on Flock-style cameras (https://disputeindex.com/issues/license-plate-surveillance)
Where this statement fits
Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
Networked automated license-plate readers record passing vehicles and let agencies search or share travel records across locations. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to prohibit these networks, keep them with legal limits, or defend their use for investigations. This tracker records attributable positions on that choice, including proposals that would affect only public funding or data access.
Source and context
Emailed statement
Email from Robert Murray to Dispute Index on his Flock camera position
2) Please change my answer to "Ban or remove"on Flock-style cameras (https://disputeindex.com/issues/license-plate-surveillance)
About this source
Email from Republican congressional candidate Robert Murray (VA-4) to Dispute Index asking to change his answer on Flock-style license plate cameras to "Ban or remove." Only the part of the email about the tracker is reproduced. The link goes to his campaign site because the request is not posted there.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Murray's earlier statement on this tracker, from September 18, said that until plate readers are properly governed, their benefits are outweighed by their civil rights violations; the tracker placed it at Pause or moratorium. In an email to Dispute Index on October 8, 2026, he wrote:
After the quotation
He made the request by email, linking the tracker page.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Murray asks to be placed at Ban or remove, which rejects their use, so we labeled it Condemned and placed it at Ban or remove. It replaces his September 18 statement on this tracker, which said plate readers should not be used until properly governed.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseNanette Barragán says the lack of federal limits on plate-reader data "is not acceptable"
“Right now, there are few meaningful federal limits on how this kind of data is collected, stored, or shared. There is also a failure to hold companies accountable or put strict rules in place on the use and collection of data. That is not acceptable. When there are no real limits on who can access this data, it becomes easier for agencies like ICE to use it against immigrant families and working communities, the very people our public safety systems should be protecting, not putting at risk. This is about more than privacy. It is about whether people can go to work, visit a doctor, or move through their communities without being tracked and having that information used against them. We can have public safety and privacy. What we cannot have is a surveillance state that tracks people without accountability, and I will keep pushing in Congress to close that gap.”Read statement
Delegate May Nivar welcomes Henrico and Goochland moving away from Flock and calls for safeguards
“I’m encouraged that Henrico and Goochland have each decided to move away from Flock cameras after hearing residents’ concerns about privacy and accountability. Public safety and privacy are not competing values. Law enforcement needs effective tools, but those tools must be used responsibly and with appropriate safeguards. ... As the General Assembly revisits this issue next session, we must work toward the right balance between public safety, privacy, accountability, and the authority of local communities to make decisions that reflect their residents’ values.”Read statement
Cooper backs ending Henrico County's Flock contract over possible misuse of data by others
“While we are confident that Henrico Police has used ALPR data appropriately for legitimate law-enforcement purposes only, we cannot ignore the potential for misuse of system data by others. Ending this contract is the right thing to do for our residents and community.”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Robert Murray asks to move his Flock position to "Ban or remove"
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/5210-robert-murray-the-republican-candidate-for-virginia-s
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Robert Murray asks to move his Flock position to "Ban or remove"". First published: 2026-10-08. Last updated: 2026-10-08. https://disputeindex.com/events/5210-robert-murray-the-republican-candidate-for-virginia-s