Damascus, Virginia, is ending its contract with Flock Safety, the company providing automatic license-plate-reading cameras to the town.

Town council voted unanimously to end the agreement after a petition opposing the cameras drew hundreds of signatures.

The decision follows a debate familiar to communities across the country: whether technology that may assist police investigations creates unacceptable risks to personal privacy.

Automatic license-plate readers record information about vehicles traveling past camera locations, allowing authorized users to search plate observations when investigating incidents.

Supporters of the technology argue that it can help law enforcement locate vehicles connected with crimes and provide useful leads.

Critics question how long location records should be retained, who may access them, and whether monitoring ordinary vehicle movements is an appropriate public-safety tool.

Damascus officials will now need to carry out the contract termination and determine what happens to the cameras and associated records.

The action does not, by itself, establish that the equipment was misused, and readers should distinguish concerns raised by residents from confirmed findings.

For Southwest Virginia residents, the vote illustrates how local decisions can shape the balance between investigative tools and individual privacy.

Other communities considering similar systems may watch what happens in Damascus as they review their own contracts and safeguards.