Readers write
Good governance demands public oversight
The AJC’s reporting on misuse of license plate reader databases (“Georgia officers misuse license plate reader databases. Can they be stopped?” June 30) highlights an important truth: Public trust depends as much on good governance as good policing. This is not a choice between fighting crime and protecting privacy. Communities deserve both.
As a retired Navy officer and former Environmental Protection Agency official, I’ve learned that powerful technologies earn lasting public support only when matched by equally strong transparency and accountability. Recent cases across Georgia, including Gwinnett County, show that internal policies alone are not enough.
Earlier this year, after noticing the installation of a county camera outside my neighborhood, I asked Gwinnett County how Flock camera data was governed and what safeguards were in place to prevent misuse. I appreciated Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson’s thoughtful response. The next step is turning that commitment into clear public guardrails through independent audits, transparent reporting, defined data-retention policies, and meaningful public oversight.
As artificial intelligence and digital surveillance become woven into public life, this conversation extends well beyond license plate readers. Trust is becoming as important a public asset as the technology itself.
Our greatest challenge is no longer simply building smarter technologies; it is building governance worthy of the public’s trust. That, ultimately, is what protects both our safety and our freedom.
JAY BASSETT, SNELLVILLE
Marietta honors native son who died in terrorist attack
July 16 will mark 11 years since the terrorist attack on a military base in Chattanooga. That shooting took the lives of four Marines and one sailor and devastated five families. One victim was Marietta native Lance Corporal Squire “Skip” Wells.
The legacy of Skip’s heroics that day lives on today in our community. Skip Wells Park on Bells Ferry Road and the Skip Wells Post Office Building on Sandy Plains Road pay lasting tribute to the 21-year-old.
As with other tragic events, this loss of a native son had a remarkable impact on Marietta, Cobb County and Georgia. This community rallied around the Wells family, lifting his mother and embracing all his relatives and friends. Divisions were forgotten. Animosities suspended. Walls of class, race and social circles evaporated.
Thousands of us crowded into his old high school stadium in remembrance and celebration. Thousands more lined the streets and highways as Skip was escorted to the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton. Skip’s family saw, heard and felt every prayer and tribute.
That spirit of cohesive community love survives today. It has been clouded by fading memory. Our challenge is to maintain it.
ANDY KINGERY, KENNESAW