Southwick Select Board Defers ALPR Deployment Vote, Pledges Public Process Before Cameras Go Up

Select Board · Meeting of July 20, 2026

Southwick Select Board defers license plate reader deployment, advances fiber construction contract. The three-member board voted unanimously Monday to execute an inter-governmental fiber construction agreement with Westfield Gas and Electric Light Department covering roughly 10 fiber service areas in Southwick's densest neighborhoods, with residential service projected at $90 per month and first connections expected within six months. The board also voted 2-1 — Clerk Joseph Deedy opposed — to offer Chief Administrative Officer Kim Parker a one-year successor contract after acknowledging the board had failed to conduct the contractually required annual performance review in either of the two years since her 2024 hiring.

A $29,932 JAG grant-funded purchase of three Motorola L6Q automatic license plate reader cameras drew more than two hours of public debate, with resident Asher citing Commonwealth v. McCarthy and a string of documented ALPR misidentification incidents nationwide; Chair Douglas Moglin committed that "when that policy is ready to come in front of the board, we will carry it as an agenda item and take a vote up or down" before any camera is deployed.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 4,365 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.