Dumfries to host town hall on Flock license plate reader cameras

A Northern Virginia town had voted to pause its Flock camera program, maybe asking residents to reconsider. Tonight, the town of Dumfries is holding a town hall to show residents how the tech works. Let's get to Melanie. She's down in Dumfries once again with more for us. Hey, Mel. Morning, guys. Yeah, so listen, the town council isn't removing the cameras at this time. They really just put a pause on this because they're hoping this little timeout will give them some time to get more information. And Mayor Derek Woods said he hopes that people are able to get their questions answered at the town hall tonight. The biggest thing with technology and what I've said in the past is that technology shouldn't grow faster than public trust. The public needs to trust and be a part of the technology as it comes because it's so much technology that's happening. So whether I think people support the cameras or whether they oppose them. I want everybody to be in the room. Eight Flock cameras were set to become fully operational by the end of September. But amid community concern about privacy, data security and information sharing, the town council voted 4-2 to pause the program. They said no cameras would be reinstalled or activated without further action from the council. Now, some council members noted that the automated cameras help officers identify stolen vehicles, locate missing or endangered people and track potential crime suspects. Dumfries, a town of about 6,000, sits right between I-95 and Route 1 in northern Virginia. And police feel that license plate reader technology here can be useful for regional coordination. Neighboring Prince William County operates 28 Flock cameras. Now, Mayor Wood told Fox 5 that he also recently toured one of Flock's competitors, Axon Technologies. He did go to Phoenix to get an idea of how their systems work. So it is possible maybe that gets thrown into the mix here as the town debates the future of the automated license plate reader program here in Dumfries. That town hall is scheduled for six tonight. Stephen Marissa.