What This Story Is About
- The Knox County Commission will no longer meet to discuss the Knox County Sheriff’s Office proposed rollout of more than 200 Flock cameras.
Why It Matters
- Flock cameras, which surveil and read license plates in public spaces, have sparked concerns about privacy from both private citizens and elected officials.
- The sheriff’s office hasn’t confirmed if the planned camera rollout has changed at all, but the meeting was cancelled at the request of KCSO.
For Context
- Wednesday, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs released a video statement highlighting concerns about Flock Cameras.
Catch Up
- A Knox County commissioner said he was a bit blindsided by the planned rollout. He spoke to us Tuesday.
- Officers outside of Knox County have been accused in the past of misusing Flock cameras, outlined in an investigation by our sister station in Atlanta.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Knox County Commission has cancelled a meeting set for Monday aimed at discussing the possible rollout of almost 300 Flock cameras across the county, planned to be purchased using $1.5 million in grant funding. It comes as the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, which has pushed for the cameras’ installation, is facing pushback both from the public and elected officials, like Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs.
A spokesperson for Jacobs’ office said the meeting was cancelled at the request of the sheriff’s office, but KCSO hasn’t confirmed if the canceled meeting means changes for the planned camera rollout.
We reached out for clarification Friday morning, and a county representative shared the short letter from KCSO canceling the meeting…