License plate readers essential for rural law enforcement

Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner is extending efforts to reduce law enforcement resources in the 2027 Dane County budget. She is introducing an amendment to remove funding placed in the 2026 budget for the Dane County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) automated license plate reader (ALPR) contract. That funding supports public safety in rural Dane County, where distance and limited witnesses make investigative leads essential.

Appropriate use of ALPR helps deter crime and solve offenses that would otherwise remain open. The same rural areas have already lost capacity through amendments she supported to remove deputy positions. Eliminating this contract would compound those reductions.

The amendment is reckless and short-sighted. Supervisor Wegleitner’s entire district receives police services from the City of Madison. Towns, villages and unincorporated areas outside the city do not, they rely on the DCSO. Her proposal ignores the distinct needs of rural Dane County, including larger patrol areas and fewer local resources.

All-inclusive leadership requires budget decisions that consider all 37 supervisory districts, not only one’s own. Rural residents should not lose a proven public safety resource because a supervisor whose district is municipally policed prefers different priorities. Governing Dane County means protecting every community, including those farthest from municipal services.

Kalvin D. Barrett

Dane County Sheriff