Watch Dogs of Marion

09/05/2026

📣 The Watchdog asked — and our followers have spoken, LOUDLY!
We’re now gathering public questions for a future candidate debate — date, time, and location TBA.

We want YOUR input as we curate the questions that will shape this community conversation and election education.

Submit your questions for consideration through:
Facebook inbox or
email: [email protected]
Or, if you prefer, mail your note to:
PO Box 251, Atkins VA 24311
**These inboxes are confidential**

The Watchdog will review all submissions, identify recurring topics, and select 10–15 questions to feature in the debate.

Candidates will not see the questions in advance — ensuring an authentic, unscripted discussion.

09/05/2026

Per council member Tricia Spencer, the Loitering Ordinance will be revisited at the upcoming Tuesday town council meeting. We are including the proposed text of this ordinance for your review and for full transparency.

Also for full transparency, we are posting the differences below from the original December 2025 version presented:

Sec. 46‑1.1 Loitering or prowling — Comparison

(a)
It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to stand, gather, or loiter on any sidewalk, street, public ground, or public way in the Town of Marion in a manner that obstructs, hinders, or impedes free passage or access to or from any place of business, institution, public building, or property.
No person or persons gathered shall refuse or neglect to move, depart, or allow free passage after being asked to do so by the owner, lessee, tenant, manager, or occupant of the premises obstructed as described or upon the order of any Town police officer.
(Difference: “𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎…” 𝒂𝒏𝒅 “𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒔”)

(b)
No changes.

(c)
No changes.

(d)
“It shall be illegal for anyone to lodge…”
*(Difference: “𝑰𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒇𝒖𝒍…”)
“𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕” → “𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒐𝒇.”

(e)
“It shall be illegal for any person to loiter…”
*(Difference: “𝑰𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒇𝒖𝒍…”)

Other wording remains the same.

(f)
Difference 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒉𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒆:
“𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔”

𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜ℎ𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑤 24/7, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟-ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠.

(g)
𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚:
“𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 3 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒓”
(Difference: “𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 3 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒓”)

(h)
❗ Difference: 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏:
“𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒉𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒂 𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈.”

𝑀𝑎𝑗𝑜𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦

09/04/2026

When do we get to form a review committee? If anyone is interested in a review committee for this drop us some comments and input…

https://tinyurl.com/976y7pev

09/04/2026

Well well…

More jurisdictions announced today they are pulling out of their contracts with Flock. Madeleine Ahmadi Reports on what’s behind the sudden, rapid wave of local pushback against Flock cameras: tinyurl.com/5eu9mwvr

09/02/2026

Another Flocky bites the dust

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Subject: Wytheville Police Department Suspends Use of Flock Safety Camera System

WYTHEVILLE, VA, September 2, 2026 — Chief of Police Joel Hash has announced the decision to suspend the Wytheville Police Department’s use of the Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) system, effective immediately.

This decision comes as law enforcement agencies across the state and nation re-evaluate the technology and suspend their contracts amidst growing discussions regarding operational oversight, privacy standards, and third-party data management.

Statement from Chief Joel Hash:
"Our primary mission is to protect and serve the citizens of Wytheville while upholding the trust and constitutional rights of our community. While automated license plate readers have served as a helpful investigative tool for identifying stolen vehicles and resolving cases, public trust and constitutional accountability must always take precedence.
In light of emerging nationwide concerns and the decision by multiple law enforcement agencies to pause or end their contracts with Flock Safety, I believe it is in the best interest of our town to suspend our use of this system. Public safety is not just about solving crime; it is about building and maintaining the trust of the citizens who rely on us every day."

Next Steps & Operations:
• Operational Impact: The suspension of the Flock Safety program will take effect immediately. All department devices connected to the system have been deactivated. Access by all agencies has been suspended.

• Continued Safety: The department’s daily patrols, investigative work, and emergency responses will remain unaffected. Officers will continue to utilize core law enforcement methods to ensure community safety.

Chief Hash and the Wytheville Police Department remain deeply committed to transparency and serving the town of Wytheville with honor and integrity.

09/01/2026

Another

Sheriff Anthony Cline Announces End of Flock Camera Program

After careful consideration, I have made the decision to end the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office’s contract with Flock Safety.

This was not a decision I made lightly.

The four Flock cameras have been a valuable investigative tool for our office. They have helped our deputies and investigators solve cases, identify vehicles, and hold criminals accountable. I recognize and appreciate the value these cameras have provided to Wythe County.

However, as Sheriff, my responsibility goes beyond using tools that help us solve crimes. The use of automated license plate reader technology raises important and evolving questions about privacy, data collection, information sharing, and the constitutional rights of citizens who have not been accused of a crime.

After weighing the investigative value of Flock against these constitutional concerns, I believe ending our contract is the right decision for Wythe County.

Our responsibility is not to choose between public safety and constitutional rights. We must protect both.

As your Sheriff, I must do what I believe is right for all citizens.

Protecting Wythe County means protecting our families, our communities, and the Constitution that protects us all.

09/01/2026

BLAND COUNTY TURNS OFF FLOCK CAMERAS

Bland County Sheriff Jason Ramsey says he made decision to stop the use of Flock cameras on July 11.

09/01/2026

Election signs are already disappearing from public locations!

🚨🚨🚨
𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 from high‑visibility public locations over the past several days. These signs were placed 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, and their removal is happening often enough that I feel it’s important to address it publicly.

When political signs disappear, it affects the fairness of the election process. It limits visibility, disrupts communication with voters, and creates an uneven playing field for any campaign experiencing it. If you notice missing signs or see anything concerning, please report it to the proper authorities or inbox this page.

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜‑𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠:

- Chatham Hill Road
- Main Street
- Park Boulevard
- Wassona Circle
-Chilhowie Street

Signs placed on private property are far less likely to be removed and help ensure that voters can still see campaign information despite what’s happening.

If you live or own property along these routes and are willing to host a sign, please reach out as soon as possible. Your help in securing visible, protected locations is extremely important to bring about change in Marion at election time!

VOTE NOVEMBER 3!!!