A resident urged Staunton City Council on July 24 to reconsider the city’s use of automated license-plate readers (ALPRs), warning the cameras pose privacy risks and can be accessed by immigration enforcement and other agencies.

Deborah Kushner, a Staunton resident who said she previously volunteered at the Farmville detention center, described ALPR technology as widely deployed and error-prone and recalled cases nationally where similar camera systems were used in immigration enforcement. She said the vendor Flock has marketed expanded uses, including drones, and called for strict controls over recorded data.

A second resident, Aaron Barmerstein, urged the city to publish or assemble transparency tools — a map or GIS layer of short-term rentals, and an audit to fix broken links on city web pages — and also said the council should prepare a plan for how city agencies will respond if immigration enforcement arrives at schools or other local institutions. He noted local contracts can be canceled, citing Waynesboro and other jurisdictions as examples where Flock systems became nonoperational.

Speakers asked the council to ensure strict contractual limits and local policies about data retention, vendor access and sharing with state or federal agencies. Councilors did not take action during the meeting but heard the concerns; staff or legal counsel would be the appropriate contacts for specific contract or policy questions.

Discussion versus decision: testimony was advisory; no council motion or vote was taken regarding the ALPR contract or data-sharing policies at this meeting.