Tennessee counties continue scrutiny of Flock cameras

Two Tennessee counties have taken action on automated license plate readers as questions of privacy and efficacy continue.

Former Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs signed a bill this week that would ban Flock cameras in his last action as mayor.

Hamilton County, Tenn., Sheriff Austin Garrett said his department is pausing the use of Flock License Plate Recognition and Motorola License Plate Recognition. Chattanooga is the county seat.

"The primary factor is the tremendous concern regarding public data and potential misuse of what is captured," Garrett said in a statement posted on social media. "Within the HCSO program, your Sheriff’s Office oversees approximately 70 cameras across Hamilton County."

Garrett asked state and federal leaders to begin a conversation about the technology.

U.S. Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Eric Burlison, R-Mo., are. They introduced the FLOCK OFF Act, which bans the use of taxpayer money for the technology.

"The federal government shouldn’t provide 'security' grants to cities and police departments that have gone beyond the pale and turned their communities into a version of 1984," Massie said in a statement.

Flock Safety has defended the use of automated license plate readers, which are now synonymous with the company's name.

"In 2025, we estimate Flock technology supported more than one million public safety investigations, assisted in 20% of solved cases in jurisdictions that partner with Flock, and helped locate more than 10,000 missing people," the company said in a July email to The Center Square. "Rather than banning a critical public safety tool, Congress should consider strong, clear safeguards that ensure accountability, oversight, and responsible use are enshrined in law. We do not have to choose between protecting privacy and giving law enforcement the tools it needs to keep communities safe. We can – and should – do both."

A database from the Institute of Justice shows 203 reports of reported abuse of the automated license plate readers as of Sept. 4. The incidents range from the arrests of law enforcement officers who have used the technology in some cases to stalk romantic partners to innocent people being held at gunpoint by police because the camera misread a license plate.

Law enforcement agencies are defending the use of the cameras, saying they are a tool for capturing criminals.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said use of automated license plate reader technology from Georgia helped the agency find a 1-year-old child taken from Tennessee.

"ALPR information has helped the bureau and its partner agencies locate missing and endangered children and vulnerable adults, identify vehicles associated with wanted fugitives, and develop leads in investigations involving violent crime, drug trafficking, and organized criminal activity," the agency said in a statement.

Christopher Ingraham, an investigative reporter for the Institute for Justice, said in an interview with The Center Square that the fundamental question is whether the crimes would have been solved without the cameras.

"We don't know," Ingraham said. "The thing that I get concerned about is our law enforcement agencies crediting a camera with the entire case when it's really just a small piece of a case."