Harrisonburg moves to ban city use of license plate readers

26 September 2026. [AI first draft. Verify every fact against the source before publishing.]

Harrisonburg is moving toward a ban on city use of license plate readers, according to reporting from The River 95.3. The proposed action would restrict municipal departments from deploying or operating automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology [verify: specific ordinance language, departments affected, and timeline for council consideration]. License plate readers capture vehicle registration data and can be integrated with broader surveillance systems or shared across agencies [verify: whether any Harrisonburg department currently operates readers or has contracts with vendors like Flock Safety].

The initiative reflects growing concern in some municipalities about privacy implications and data retention practices associated with ALPR systems. [Verify: whether city council has received public comment, which council members support the ban, and whether police or other departments have opposed it.] Residents interested in tracking such decisions can monitor Harrisonburg city council agendas and meeting minutes to follow the ban's progress through the legislative process.

Read the original reporting: The River 95.3.

Related record: Harrisonburg, Virginia in the jurisdictions directory.