STAUNTON, VA (Rocktown Now) — The Staunton Police Department has decided, along with the City Manager and City Council, to end the use of stationary automated license plate readers in the area.

According to a release, Chief Jim Williams recently received an unsolicited email from Flock Safety – the company that installed the readers throughout the city – that they and the law enforcement agencies they partner with are under coordinated attack by “the same activist groups who want to defund the police, weaken public safety, and normalize lawlessness.”

Officials say Flock Safety’s narrative does not reflect Staunton’s values, and the City is currently coordinating with the company to finalize contract termination, turn off the license plate readers, and have them removed.