Image Credit: DeFlock.org & Canva
Tennessee Conservative News [By Olivia Lupia] –
Though there is no official total or exact public count for the number of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) deployed throughout the country or state, open-source databases show 3,250 of these ALPRs have been documented across 205 Tennessee cities and towns, 2,881 of which are tagged as Flock Safety equipment. For those who wish to find out if they have been captured by any of these surveillance systems, a new website allows users to check if their vehicle has been captured.
The website, “Have I Been Flocked” allows an individual to enter a license plate number to see if it appears in the records. To generate their database, the site creators compiled public records and “audit logs” tracking searches made within the Flock system, reportedly covering nearly 4.7 million license plates and 241 million Flock searches.
According to the site, a match does not mean you were under investigation, but simply that your plate was searched in the Flock system. The results are records of searches performed by Flock’s customers, like local law enforcement agencies, and the license plates or search reasons given are what someone manually entered into the system.
The site also notes that the aggregated audit logs used to create the database were released via open records requests, and that the dataset is incomplete as “few governments provide easy access to these logs, and the records we obtain are often redacted.”
An additional resource can be found at DeFlock.org, which uses open-source data to identify and document ALPRs, with users able to search by city, zip code, or address. These tools come as ALPRs, especially those Flock Safety’s, are receiving growing pushback amid privacy and surveillance concerns, leading some Tennessee municipalities to cancel or reconsider their programs as others aim for massive expansion.
Sullivan County Sheriff Jeffrey Cassidy announced on Monday that the county will be suspending use of Flock cameras and LPRs until further notice, saying that while he believes the cameras have proven to be a ‘valuable law enforcement tool”, he also acknowledges the “legitimate concerns about privacy, oversight, and government surveillance.”
Currently, Sullivan County employs 10 Flock cameras along state highways, and Cassidy will be asking the County Commission to consider placing a referendum on the ballot allowing voters to decide whether the sheriff’s office should continue to use and fund the ALPRs.
This announcement comes after the Sullivan County Commission discussed a resolution about the use of Flock cameras and pressed a Flock Safety representative about their concerns last week, leading to one commissioner saying the company is one of the most hated in the country.
Meanwhile, the Knoxville Police Department currently has 19 fixed Axon cameras and 30 mobile LPR cameras integrated within officer dashcams and spread out across field operations districts.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office has been working to rollout nearly 300 of these ALPRs, though as new concerns have arisen, County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and some County Commissioners have begun questioning the use of the technology.
According to DeFlock, the Shelby County area has 574 reported cameras, at least 150 have been reported in Nashville, almost 300 total in Johnson City, and approximately 60 around Clarksville. And in Chattanooga, 160 ALPRs have been documented within 25 miles of the metro area, with 103 explicitly tagged as Flock Safety.
Reports of abuse by police officers continue to make national news, with the latest coming out of South Carolina where a female officer allegedly used Flock cameras over 100 times to stalk her ex-girlfriend.
But concerns about ALPRs may just be the tip of the proverbial iceberg regarding privacy and unauthorized surveillance with the rise of an all-new technology called SignalTrace, designed to allow law enforcement “to identify groups of consumer electronic devices that routinely travel together, even when a license plate number is not known.”
In essence, SignalTrace creates an electronic fingerprint by capturing wireless and Bluetooth signals from devices like cell phones, smart watches, fitness trackers, or RFID tags that the system determines are frequently emitted together, creating “an additional data set to enhance the records captured by LPR cameras in the area.”
The system uses “strategically placed sensors to collect electronic communication patterns and identities of consumer electronics,”, which is in essence a digital identification profile created without the consent or even knowledge of the people driving by. SignalTrace says these electronic fingerprints can help provide insights to law enforcement to use in “real-time policing and investigations.”
This technology has supposedly been tested and is now being marketed, but has not yet become an established police practice, though some reports indicate several devices are installed in Oxon Hill, Maryland, and the company’s predecessor technology appears on an official New York state contract price list.
Flock has distanced itself from SignalTrace, saying the company has no association with the electronic tracking system, but did not suggest the two technologies cannot or should not be used in tandem.
Tennesseans concerned about privacy and the extent of their local government’s right to implement such surveillance measures may wish to contact their State Representatives and Senators to ensure they discuss the matter when the legislature reconvenes in January 2027.
Sources:
https://flockcamera.app/locations/tennessee
https://maps.deflock.org/?lat=39.8283&lng=-98.5795&zoom=4.00
https://knoxvilletnpolice.gov/real-time-information-center/
https://deflocktheusa.com/flock-cameras/tennessee/memphis
https://www.johnsoncitytn.org/services/police/safe_city_project/index.php
https://www.leonardocompany-us.com/lpr/elsag-signaltrace
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
10 Responses
If you aren’t engaged in illegal activity and you’re obeying the rules of the road, you really don’t have anything to worry about, do you?
Typical nanny state lover…
Uhm, yeah, sorry but it’s as if one is taking position of “Guilty until proven Innocent.”
Boy, have you drank the cool-aid.
Conservatives need to think this through and be smart. This is like an IQ test.
The LPR’s are good for catching stolen cars. Many criminals steal a car before committing a crime.
The only way to get away from surveillance is to go Off The Grid and live in the woods or never go outside because Satellites can see faces. Don’t go to stores that have security cameras. Don’t have internet. Don’t have Ring. Don’t use a Cell phone because you might be tracked. Don’t use credit cards.
I don’t want criminals roaming around my city in stolen cars looking for something to steal. The cities that have LPR’s will have less crime than those that don’t have LPR’s because criminals will avoid the cities that have LPRs. I live near Nashville and my city has LPR’s. If Nashville doesn’t have LPR’s, the criminals will flock there and avoid my city. That is good for me and bad for them.
The Dem cities don’t want LPRs because they don’t want the police to catch criminals.
Comparing Flock cameras to store security cameras, inside or outside, residential Ring type cameras is a stretch. Then on top of that , you add the internet, credit cards, and cell phones to the list. Again, I choose to use those things…if I choose to. I live “in the county” and have to deal with less than desirable individuals.
I still remember a story out of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania during the COVID Lockdown. A woman, locked in her house due to the governors order, just wanted to get in her car and go for a ride around the block. She was by herself and it was at night. She ended up being arrested and charged by the local police. She wasn’t hurting anyone. Now, imagine when the next epidemic hits or you are incorrectly identified as a “suspect?” It has happened around the country, especially with License plate readers. Ask folks who have to deal with NYC or Philadelphia.
Criminals are not the smartest bunch and having Flock cameras isn’t going to stop them from committing crimes. We have a Death Penalty and yet criminals still commit crimes that can incur a sentence of death.
Besides, near me, it is well known that Flock cameras are near WalMart and yet criminals STILL commit crimes without fear.
I hope you’re not in Williamson County. Do some research. It’s normal for criminals to steal a car and go looking for someone to rob or something to steal. It happens all the time. A LPR isn’t going to stop shoplifting inside a WalMart – LPR is License Plate Reader.
IQ test, huh? Why yes, we have a huge stolen car problem in the US. I think the percentage of cars stolen in the US is about 0.186%. Wow!! Sounds like a huge amount, huh? Less than 1/4 of 1%. Are you that willing to give away your privacy for that? Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a good thing if 1 car gets stolen but, does it justify this huge surveillance network, which will come? If it was only used to find a stolen car or a kidnapping or murder suspect, etc., then yes, I might be willing to accept it but, so far, from what I’ve read about them, total misuse is happening. Right now, there is geofencing being used to target unsuspecting “innocent” people, like Churches. Do you accept that? Do you remember how they found most of the January 6th protesters? Cell phones!! They caught all the J6 protesters but couldn’t find the pipe bomber. Yeah, sure. Personally, I don’t like any of it, Flocks, Geofencing, Cell phone tracking, etc.. We deserve PRIVACY if we so desire!!!! This is still the USA, but barely.
You miss the point. Criminals steal cars and drive around looking for a crime. I’m not worried about my car being stolen.
Don’t allow LPR’s in your county. You will have more criminals than counties that use them.
Are you going to stop using a cell phone?
Yup, lucifer’s accursed Big Brother’s spy cameras. And his sheeple think they’re great.