Tennessee This Week: September 6
The short version: Knox County's commission banning Flock cameras is a genuine win worth celebrating, even as a new sheriff and local pundits push back on WATE's airwaves.
Our Take
Credit to WATE 6 On Your Side for giving airtime to both sides of this fight. When a county commission actually votes to ban Flock Safety cameras, that's news — most jurisdictions just quietly renew the contract and hope nobody notices. Knox County residents who showed up and made noise clearly moved the needle, and that's the kind of local pressure that works everywhere, not just Tennessee.
Of course, the new sheriff sitting down for a friendly interview and a panel of pundits reacting afterward tells you where the institutional pressure is going to come from next. Law enforcement rarely gives up a surveillance tool without a fight, even one with as thin an evidence base for reducing crime as ALPR networks have. Expect talk of reversing the ban dressed up as public safety.
This is exactly the pattern we track: a community wins a battle, then has to keep watching to make sure it isn't quietly undone in a budget line or a new vendor pitch next year. If you're in East Tennessee or anywhere else wondering what's watching your plates, check our camera map and see what you can do about it at take action.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WATE 6 On Your Side, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.