KNOX COUNTY, TN- Americans for Prosperity Tennessee (AFP-TN) is applauding the Knox County Commission who voted unanimously Monday night to ban fixed automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) and require the removal of Flock Safety cameras currently used by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office within 30 days.
The emergency ordinance followed growing concerns over privacy, oversight and transparency surrounding the program, including questions raised by Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs about an $800,000 expenditure and an anticipated $2.6 million request to maintain the system that had not previously been presented to commissioners for approval.
AFP-TN State Director Tori Venable released the following statement:
“We commend Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs for leading on this issue and County Commissioners for hearing the concerns from Tennesseans of all walks of life to end the unapproved, costly, warrantless mass surveillance system.
There will always be emerging technologies, but it is the job of elected officials to make sure these technologies fit within our Constitution’s bounds.”