In committee review · Bridgewater, MA

Your drive is your business.

Automated license plate readers log every vehicle that passes: plate, place, date, time. All of it lands in a searchable database owned by a private company. Ordinance D‑FY27‑003 ends that in Bridgewater. It needs residents on the record.

See how to help Read what it does
Central Square in Bridgewater on a clear morning. The church clock tower stands behind the intersection, with route signs for 104 east and 28 north to Boston, a flag and war memorial to the right, and benches beside the fountain in the foreground.
Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

One reading means nothing.
Thousands map your life.

Each capture looks harmless on its own. Combined across cameras, towns, and time, they assemble into a detailed record of where you go and when. Collected without notice. Without a vote.

6:42 AM 6:51 AM 6:58 AM 7:12 AM 4:36 PM 4:49 PM 5:02 PM SUN 9:04 AM HOME WORKPLACE DOCTOR CHURCH

Illustrative. The ordinance's supporting memorandum calls this "a detailed account of a vehicle's movements and associations that would be difficult to reproduce through ordinary human observation."

Not anti‑police. Anti‑dragnet.

Introduced by Councilor Sean Kennedy on August 11, 2026. The ordinance draws one clear line: police work tied to real incidents continues. Automatic, everyone‑all‑the‑time collection ends.

What continues
  • Manual plate checks tied to a specific incident, stop, or call for service
  • Information lawfully provided in a particular investigation
  • Photographs and recordings lawfully obtained
  • Body-worn cameras, without automated plate recognition
  • Anything required by law or court order
What ends
  • Purchasing, leasing, installing, or operating any ALPR system
  • "Free trials," grants, donations, and privately funded cameras
  • Regional networks and data‑sharing agreements involving ALPR data
  • Renewing or replacing agreements with substantially similar systems
  • Retaining collected data. Deletion must be requested and confirmed

The full ordinance, in plain language

Three ways to help.

Ordinances don't die in floor votes. They die in committee. Visible, civil resident support between now and the hearing is what moves this one forward intact.

5 minutes

Send one email.

Ask your councilor and the Rules & Procedures Committee to advance D‑FY27‑003 as introduced. One short, personal email per councilor: your own words, your name, your street.

Start with a template
One evening

Show up.

Attend the committee meeting when the ordinance is taken up. You don't have to say a word. A full room is a message by itself.

Get the date when it drops
Two minutes

Speak.

Public comment is the strongest signal a resident can send. Name, street, the case, thank you. A ready‑to‑read script makes it easy. Reading word for word is fine.

Get the script

Or print the one-page kit for a neighbor

Three phrases that win the argument.

Skip national politics. These work on every neighbor, whatever their bumper sticker says.

Mosaic tracking

One reading reveals little. Thousands, combined over time and across towns, map your commute, your doctor, your church, your family.

A private company owns the data

Not our police department. Not our town. Access, retention, and sharing are set by vendor systems and contracts.

Deleting locally doesn't delete the copies

A short local retention window doesn't control duplicates already shared with vendors, other agencies, or broader networks.

Where it stands.

Aug 11, 2026Introduced. First reading. Referred to Rules & Procedures by voice vote.
To be announcedCommittee review. The decisive stage, where ordinances advance, get amended, or stall. Public comment expected.
To be announcedSecond reading.
To be announcedFinal vote. If adopted, the Town must publicly report every ALPR system, contract, and data‑sharing agreement within 45 days, and its plan to end them.

Follow the updates

When the hearing is scheduled, we'll need you in a seat.

One email when the committee sets the date. One reminder before the meeting. No fundraising, no spam, and your address is never shared.

The list opens shortly. Check back, or catch us at the next council meeting.

What we do with your address