PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Effective immediately, Flock Safety cameras will no longer be used by the Prince Edward County Sheriff's Office. The evening of Thursday, Sept. 3, Sheriff Tony Epps took to Facebook to announce that his office is discontinuing the use of Flock Safety cameras -- a predominant brand of automatic license plate reader (ALPR). There has been significant debate about the ethics of ALPR technology. While some say that these cameras are key investigative tools that promote public safety, others say they are an invasion of privacy and prone to misuse. It's these concerns about privacy that -- at least, in part -- have motivated this change in Prince Edward, according to Epps. "We remain committed to utilizing effective tools and technology that help us protect our citizens, solve crimes and make our county a safer place to live," he wrote. "We will continue to explore and implement solutions that enhance public safety while respecting the privacy and trust of the citizens we are sworn to serve." MORE LIKE THIS: State Senator wants to make Flock, other similar cameras illegal in Virginia Epps emphasized that this decision was "not made lightly." "I ask that you understand this decision and know that the safety of the citizens has been and always will be my number one concern," he wrote. This is the second such announcement 8News has reported on recently. A week prior to Epps' post, the Goochland County Sheriff's Office said it was suspending the use of data from Flock Safety cameras. ...read more read less