Watch Flock representatives speak before the Knox County Commission
The short version: KnoxNews video shows Flock reps pitching Knox County commissioners even as local polling reportedly finds voters oppose the camera network.
Our Take
Credit to Knoxville News Sentinel for putting the actual meeting footage online instead of just summarizing it. There's something clarifying about watching a Flock Safety representative make the company's pitch directly to elected officials — the promises of "solving crime" and "community safety" tend to sound a lot thinner when you can see commissioners' faces as they weigh a permanent surveillance contract against a poll that reportedly shows their own constituents don't want it.
This is the pattern we track constantly: a private company sells a county on a network of always-on license plate cameras, often before residents even know the vote is happening, then leans on commissioners to approve it fast while public pushback is still forming. Knox County residents pushing back in a poll is exactly the kind of friction that should matter to local government — not just a talking point Flock's sales team has to "manage."
If you're in East Tennessee, check our camera map to see what's already been deployed near you, and if Knox County is heading toward a formal vote, our take-action page has tools for showing up and making your objection part of the public record before the cameras go up, not after.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Knoxville News Sentinel, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.