Concerns Over Flock Surveillance Cameras: Constitutional and Privacy Challenges

Knox County, Tennessee, Mayor Glenn Jacobs has urged for a “nationwide pause” on the deployment of Flock surveillance cameras. Speaking on “The Sunday Briefing,” Jacobs highlighted concerns related to constitutional rights, privacy, and safety, emphasizing the need for adequate safeguards.

He acknowledged that law enforcement should have access to crime-solving tools but noted that Flock’s new technology surpasses traditional license plate readers. Jacobs believes these tools should not be widely implemented until there are proper guardrails and a modern regulatory framework.

“This is not about depriving law enforcement of the tools. It’s about figuring out how these tools can be used in an appropriate manner that is consistent with the Constitution,” Jacobs stated. He referenced numerous instances of misuse.

Jacobs pointed out the absence of a federal regulatory framework for Flock cameras. Tennessee’s laws on license plate readers date back to 2014, with minimal updates since. As technology has evolved, he stressed the importance of ensuring compliance with the Constitution while equipping law enforcement with necessary resources.

Flock Safety, a leading vendor of automated license plate readers, has gained popularity among law enforcement, municipalities, and businesses. The ACLU estimates between 80,000 to 100,000 Flock cameras are in use nationwide. According to Flock’s marketing, they operate in over 6,000 communities, collaborating with more than 1,000 businesses and over 5,000 law enforcement agencies, resulting in billions of vehicle scans each month.

Flock stated that data collected is automatically deleted after 30 days unless agencies specify a different retention period.

The debate over these AI-powered cameras, which Jacobs described as “notoriously erroneous,” extends across the country. In West Virginia, the state’s Freedom Caucus is pushing to ban these cameras, arguing they infringe upon citizens’ Fourth Amendment rights.

Max Bacall and Kerri Kupec Urbahn, from Fox News Digital, contributed to this report.