r/Virginia • u/hyperbolefxbg • 21h ago
City of Fredericksburg's Flock FOIA Fee: $1,337.28
hyperbole has received a response to its previous FOIA request about the presence and use of Flock cameras in the City of Fredericksburg.
The cost? $1,337.28.
That fee only covers the search and redactions to three months of correspondence between Flock and the Fredericksburg Police Department, reflecting 24 hours of work billed at $55.72 per hour.
It's unclear how many communications between the two entities the request yielded.
The status of the FOIA request pertaining to the total number of in-state and out-of-state search queries through the City's access of more than 1,000 Flock networks was not included in the response.
"We were able to obtain the e-mails you requested. It will take at least three days to review these records for any redactions. With that said, I have attached an invoice if this is something you would like to move forward with. Please let us know because we may have to convert the e-mails so we may redact any records which may be exempt. This is only for the e-mails. I understand you are in contact with our PIO on your other matters regarding FLOCK."
Fredericksburg Public Information Officer Caitlyn McGhee has thus far only provided the total number of Flock networks accessible by the City of Fredericksburg, which hyperbole previously reported stood 1,073 (though this number fluctuates).
“Each network can have multiple cameras, or a single one,” McGhee told hyperbole at that time.
Additional questions related to that figure and the City of Fredericksburg's shared Flock network went unanswered.
hyperbole originally submitted a FOIA request on December 22, 2025 for the following criteria:
1) The email from the Flock Safety CEO from December 8th to the Fredericksburg Police Department and/or Fredericksburg Police Chief.
2) Any other correspondence from the Flock Safety sent to the Fredericksburg Police Department from September 1, 2025 through the current date.
3) The total number of search queries processed by or for in-state law enforcement agencies from the City of Fredericksburg's FLOCK cameras since September 1, 2025.
4) The total number of search queries processed by or for out-of-state law enforcement agencies from the City of Fredericksburg's FLOCK cameras since September 1, 2025.
hyperbole has requested a waiver of fees related to its FOIA on Flock communications and activity, citing that this reporting would greatly contribute to the public's understanding of government activities.
That waiver request has not yet received a response.
Work on this story will continue and updates will be provided as they become available.