Chattanooga Police Department uses zero FLOCK cameras: how they regulate the use of automatic
The short version: Chattanooga's police chief says the department skips Flock entirely for Motorola-made ALPR cameras, proving the surveillance debate is bigger than one brand.
Our Take
Local 3 News' report on Chattanooga PD is a useful reminder: the fight against automated license plate readers isn't just a fight against Flock Safety. Chief John Chambers says his department runs Motorola-made cameras instead, which means the same core questions apply — who has access to the data, how long it's retained, what triggers a search, and whether any outside agencies (including ICE) get a feed. Swapping vendors doesn't swap away the surveillance.
We appreciate any department that's willing to talk publicly about how it regulates ALPR use, and credit to Local 3 News for asking. But 'we don't use Flock' shouldn't be treated as the end of the conversation. Every brand of plate reader creates a searchable record of where your car has been, and that record is only as safe as the policy governing it — policies that can change, get loosened, or get ignored entirely.
If you're in Chattanooga or anywhere else, don't assume your city is surveillance-free just because it's Flock-free. Check our camera map to see what's actually deployed near you, and hit up our take-action page for ways to push your local council for real transparency on any ALPR vendor, Motorola included.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Local 3 News, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.