Sheriff’s Office Addresses Use of ‘ALPR’ Cameras – Health Insurance, 4-H Week, and Parks & Rec Events Also Presented

At its regular meeting and work session on Tuesday, October 6, the Warren County Board of Supervisors received substantial staff, agency, and public feedback on a variety of operational topics. Those included during the meeting:

Item E.> A presentation on National 4-H Week (Karen Poff, Peyton Parker), as well as a Proclamation and Resolution supporting National 4-H Week. The latter was pulled from the Consent Agenda by Chairman Cheryl Cullers to read her Resolution of support into the meeting record. That very positive resolution was approved by a unanimous 5-0 vote;

An update on Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) work and scheduled work by VDOT officials Ed Carter and Matt Smith;

Ed Carter of VDOT reviewed completed and scheduled road work. Below, representatives of 4-H received an enthusiastic welcome, especially from Chairman Cullers. Royal Examiner Photos: Roger Bianchini

During Public Comments, several citizens, including John Jenkins, Vicky Cook, Louis Motten, and another citizen, James Contrares, questioned reasons for a variety of matters. Those included the County’s involvement with the Public School system in an engineering report and potential repairs to E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School (Jenkins); the reason for lengthy lags in annual audit reports and board transparency or a perceived lack thereof on the reasons for those ongoing lags (Cook); processes in allowing E. Wilson Morrison educational staff into the closed building with engineering oversight to safely retrieve teaching materials left behind upon the safety closing of the building (Motten); and the potential misuse of remotely placed ID cameras by law enforcement (Contrares).

WCSO ID Camera usage

On that latter matter, at the 153.20-linked County video mark, Warren County Sheriff Crystal Cline began a lengthy work session presentation on her department’s use of, and adherence to state and federal guidelines on the use of what was termed “Flock Safety/ALPR” camera systems. Flock is the County-contracted entity providing those ALPR (Automatic License Plate Recognition) cameras. Those systems are being developed and set up publicly to help track potential criminal or self-destructive mental health crisis individuals through motor vehicle type, license numbers, and even apparently facial identification.

Critics cite the danger of abusing the camera system to bypass constitutional search-and-seizure standards. While Sheriff Cline acknowledged the potential for such abuse in various locations, she pointed to her department’s strict adherence to established federal and state legal standards. The sheriff cited fairly recent examples of VERY positive results from using the camera system. She pointed to one incident in which a person reported as a potential suicide risk out of county from a mental health crisis had transported explosive devices into the county. Both the person and the explosives were recovered with the help of ALPR cameras before any damage was done.

After telling the county’s elected officials that, “This is a  tool, not a replacement for trained deputies,” the sheriff soon added, “There are rules in all of this … This useful tool needs to stay in Warren County and Virginia.”

WC Sheriff Crystal Cline looks toward graphic support for her contention that ALPR cameras can help law enforcement when used correctly by responsible, trained officers within legal guidelines. The graphic explains what the Flock contractors’ ALPR cameras do and don’t do. It remains to be seen how the county supervisors will react to what they heard from the sheriff.

Sheriff Cline’s presentation was moved from final Work Session item 5 to number 2 due to personnel availability for some preceding items.

Work Session Business

Those work session items and involved staff included:

M.1. Presentation – Employee Health Insurance Plan Structure – MarshMMA representative Ed White & Bonnie Lee: This detailed presentation begins at the 1:22:57 linked video mark;

Ed White reviewed health insurance options moving forward, cost- and service-wise. Below, Parks & Rec Director Tiffany Walker reviewed departmental initiatives expanding its outreach and availability to the community.

M.2. Warren County Parks and Recreation Department Update — Tiffany Walker, Director, “The department continues to build partnerships and create opportunities for the community:

• Created our first pumpkin patch for the VA250 Liberty Day event, held at Rockland on October 3;
• Continued working with community partners to develop and provide additional recreational and community programming;
• Partnered with PALs to offer a flag football league, which has been ongoing;
• Partnering with ARC of Warren and Blue Ridge Opportunities to provide programming for their organizations.

M.3. Discussion – Board of Zoning Appeals Membership – Kelly Wahl, Planning Director;

M.4. Update Virginia’s New Marijuana and Hemp Laws – Alisa Scott, Finance Director, Sherry Sours, Commissioner of the Revenue, Kelly Wahl, Planning Director.

This item, M.4, on potential taxing revenue from the partial legalization of marijuana and related products was removed from the docket on a motion by Vice-Chairman Tony Carter to allow staff to further investigate related variables. The continuation was approved by a 5-0 vote.

Item I. Consent Agenda approval:

I.1. Authorization to Advertise for Public Hearing – Lease of County-Owned Property located at 229 Stokes Airport Road to Frederik Willem van Weezendonk – Mike Berry, Public Works Director

I.2. Authorization to Advertise – Ordinance to Amend and Re-Ordain Warren County Code Section 160-20 (Applications and Recertifications on Land Use)

I.3. Board Refund Letter – John & Korinne Zaino – Sherry Sours, Commissioner of the Revenue

I.4. Hangar Lease Assignment Agreement for Hangar B9 – Mike Berry, Public Works Director

And as noted above, Item I.5. “Proclamation — National 4-H Week” — Karen Poff — was pulled for additional discussion by Chairman Cheryl Cullers, who read a very positive Resolution of Support into the meeting record. The resolution passed unanimously, 5-0.

For additional detail on the above and other matters, see the County video.