August 19, 2026 | Mayor Derrick Wood

Updated August 25, 2026

Where Residents Can Find Official Information

The Town of Dumfries has now published additional information about the automated license plate reader program on the Town website.

I encourage residents to review the Town's official information directly, including the governing policy, program details, safeguards, and any additional materials made available as implementation moves forward.

Transparency should not depend on residents having to search through meeting packets, news stories, or social media posts to understand how government technology is being used.

As additional information becomes available, I will continue to ask questions and share updates with the community.

Over the last week, I’ve continued to hear from Dumfries residents about the automated license plate reader cameras being installed in our community.

Some residents see the cameras as another tool to help police locate stolen vehicles, find missing or endangered people, and investigate serious crimes.

Others have a very different concern:

How much information should government be able to collect about where people are traveling, who can search that information, and who can access it?

Those are legitimate questions.

I believe we can support law enforcement while also demanding strong protections for privacy, civil liberties, transparency, and accountability.

We should not have to choose between those principles.

What the Town Council Approved

On June 16, the Dumfries Town Council unanimously approved a policy governing the Police Department's use of automated license plate reader technology.

That policy applies to eight Flock Safety license plate reader cameras planned for Dumfries.

The policy includes several safeguards.

Data is generally retained for 21 days and then automatically deleted unless it is connected to an authorized law-enforcement matter. Searches are restricted to legitimate public-safety and investigative purposes, and officers are required to independently verify an alert before taking enforcement action.

The policy also requires a case or incident number for searches and establishes monthly audits of system activity. Council separately approved quarterly reporting from the Town Manager regarding program outcomes, audits, and incidents of misuse.

These safeguards matter.

But adopting a policy should not mean our questions stop.

What Is Being Installed

Recent reporting brought renewed public attention to the program.

As of August 18, five of the eight planned cameras had been installed, with three additional cameras expected before the system becomes operational in early September. FOX 5 reported that the approximately $35,000 project is being supported through grant funding.

That reporting also brought forward concerns residents are raising across Virginia and around the country about automated license plate reader technology.

Those concerns deserve more than a response of, “Trust us.”

Residents deserve to understand exactly how the system works.

The Questions I Am Continuing to Ask

Since these concerns surfaced, I have asked our Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Police Department for additional information about the program.

I also asked for Council to receive a demonstration of the system.

I want Council and the public to clearly understand:

What information the cameras actually capture.

What an officer sees when conducting a search.

Who within the department is authorized to access the system.

How every search is recorded and audited.

Under what circumstances information can be shared with another agency.

What safeguards prevent someone from using the system for a personal or unauthorized purpose.

What happens when a policy violation occurs.

And there is another question that matters to me:

As the technology evolves, could the capabilities of the system expand beyond what Council originally understood when we approved the policy?

Government cannot adopt technology once and then put oversight on autopilot.

Technology Changes. Oversight Has to Change With It.

This is one of the most important lessons in this conversation.

Technology develops quickly.

New features can be introduced. Systems can become interconnected. Databases can grow. Information that once existed in separate places can become searchable across larger networks.

That means our policies must be reviewed regularly.

The question cannot only be:

“Is this legal?”

We should also ask:

“Is this necessary?”

“Is this proportional?”

“Who has access?”

“How long should the information exist?”

“What protections are in place if someone abuses that access?”

And:

“Would we be comfortable explaining this system openly to the people we represent?”

That last question is especially important.

Public Safety Matters

I also don't want legitimate privacy concerns to erase the reason law-enforcement agencies use these systems.

License plate readers can assist investigations involving stolen vehicles, missing and endangered people, human trafficking, and other serious crimes. Dumfries' location near Route 1 and Interstate 95 also means our Police Department routinely operates within a larger regional public-safety environment.

Our officers deserve effective tools.

But effective government is not simply about giving government more tools.

It is about establishing clear rules governing how those tools can be used.

Privacy Matters Too

I have heard from residents who oppose these cameras entirely.

I may not agree with every conclusion being drawn, but I believe government has an obligation to take the underlying concern seriously.

When technology allows government to collect information at a scale that was not previously possible, the public has every right to ask questions.

That isn't anti-police.

That isn't anti-public safety.

That is what an engaged citizen is supposed to do.

And elected officials should be willing to answer those questions.

My Standard Going Forward

My position remains straightforward:

Public safety, privacy, transparency, and accountability must work together.

I want our Police Department to have the resources it needs to protect our residents.

I also want strong safeguards ensuring those resources are used only for legitimate purposes.

That means clear policies.

Independent verification before enforcement.

Limited data retention.

Controlled access.

Audit trails.

Regular reporting.

Consequences for misuse.

And continuing Council oversight as technology changes.

Most importantly, residents should not have to discover how a government technology works after it appears in their community.

We should explain it.

We should answer questions about it.

And when those questions identify a weakness, we should be willing to strengthen the policy.

That's not a failure of government.

That's responsible government.

Technology changes.

Oversight has to change with it.

— Derrick R. Wood
Mayor, Town of Dumfries