Community Safety Cameras

The Prince William County Police Department (PWCPD) utilizes community safety camera technology strictly for law enforcement purposes. This automated license plate recognition (ALPR) technology supports the PWCPD mission by supporting criminal investigations to solve crimes and helping to safely find missing persons or quickly locate suspected criminals, all while upholding individual privacy and abiding by the comprehensive Virginia laws and policies governing its use. 

The Police Department has responsibly utilized ALPR technology for many years. Like many other police departments in the National Capital Region, we have used vehicle-mounted ALPR systems (ELSAG) for well over a decade. Currently, the police department outfits several police cruisers with this technology. To complement the cruiser-mounted systems, the police department also procured fixed community safety cameras produced by Flock Safety in 2025. Most of these cameras are installed at fixed locations throughout the county. A list of the current fixed locations is provided on this page.

It should be noted that this ALPR technology is widely available to private associations and commercial entities. Numerous private businesses and homeowner’s associations (HOAs) throughout the County have installed the technology on their private properties. The police department does not control the private use of this equipment.

The police department abides by the robust oversight and safeguards outlined by Virginia Law and has made our policies and usage statistics publicly available.

The police department takes its obligation to utilize this important tool in a safe and responsible manner seriously. 

• We require comprehensive training for all members. 
• We conduct regular audits and report our usage statistics to the state as required by Virginia Code. 
• All images that are captured are retained for only 21 days and then purged. 
• The system must only be used for legitimate law enforcement purposes. 
• The data is owned by PWCPD and is never sold to third parties. Use of, and access to, any data is strictly limited to Virginia law enforcement agencies. 
• Any misuse of the data may be considered a class 1 misdemeanor.  
• Our department policy regarding the LPR program is publicly available on our website.

Utilized responsibly, this technology has helped PWCPD locate vulnerable missing persons, identify stolen vehicles, locate suspects involved in a string of thefts and other crimes, and solve numerous complex cases. The technology has also had a substantial impact on our ability to combat motor vehicle theft, in particular. In 2025, motor vehicle thefts declined for the first time since 2023, falling 16.4 percent. 

The police department recognized this technology is often misunderstood, so the following frequently ask questions section is intended to provide context for accuracy and to avoid any misconceptions of the use of this technology by our agency.

The police department will continue our commitment to transparency and responsible use of this important tool.