Canceled
Who approved this?
No approval document for this contract has been found yet. The records request guide shows which office holds it.
Martinsville ran as many as 80 Flock cameras in 2025, paid for largely through Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services grants tied to Operation Ceasefire and Operation Bold Blue Line. Police Chief Chad Rhoads said in May 2026 that the count was already down to 41 and would fall to 24 by the end of 2026 because the grant money had dried up. Each camera costs $3,000 a year to operate, a documented unit price rather than a stated contract total, so no total is recorded here. Rhoads said on September 8, 2026 that the department will not renew when the agreement ends on December 31, 2026. He said officers had used the system for 4 years without incident but the department could not persuade the public to trust it. Captain Ben Peters said Flock had advanced nearly every homicide case over the prior 2 to 3 years. Searches were limited to sergeants, lieutenants and administrators and barred for property crimes.
Martinsville ended its Flock contract
Contract ended December 31, 2026.
The money
- Cameras: 24
- Funding source: Other grant
What happens next
This decision already happened in public; the record and its sources are above. If the community revisits the question, that decision would follow the same public process: a noticed meeting, public comment, and a recorded outcome, all through official channels.
Sources
- WDBJ7 report on the camera reduction and the per camera annual cost (May 20, 2026) wdbj7.com
- WSET report on the non renewal and the December 31, 2026 end date (September 8, 2026) wset.com
Last verified: September 9, 2026. Something wrong? Request a correction.
The record
The sources do not say who approved this contract. Operating agency: Martinsville Police Department.
The contract covers 24 cameras. Funding came through Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services grants tied to Operation Ceasefire and Operation Bold Blue Line, then city funds after the grants ended.
The contract is now canceled.
2 sources back this record; each is listed with its date under Sources. Last verified September 9, 2026. Every Virginia record is listed on the Virginia hub; the tracker lists all of them.
Cite this record
Who Approved This, "Martinsville, VA Flock Contract," whoapprovedthis.org, accessed October 8, 2026, https://whoapprovedthis.org/city/va-martinsville/.
Related
Read on
- All 41 Virginia records
- What the Virginia file shows
- What these terms mean
- What state law does to a contract
- Norfolk, VA Active
- Suffolk, VA Active
- Richmond, VA Active
- Camera locations near Martinsville: DeFlock (external, crowdsourced)
- Agency transparency portal, if published: transparency.flocksafety.com; aggregated at Eyes on Flock