Resident urges records compliance, warns of liability and asks city to equip police with body cameras

A resident who identified himself as Mr. Smith used the three-minute public-comment period to raise concerns about the city’s handling of public-records requests and to urge the board to adopt police body cameras.

Mr. Smith said he had filed multiple Tennessee Public Records Act requests that were either ignored or denied. "I've sent several requests that have been either ignored or denied," he said, and indicated he had documentation referencing Tennessee Comptroller training that, in his view, showed some city responses were in violation of the law. He asked that the board review TPRA procedures to ensure staff know how to process requests.

Mr. Smith also urged the city to equip its police officers with body cameras, saying, "please get your police officer's body cameras. Y'all are far behind the curve on everybody else in that," and warned that continuing denials after he’d pointed out training guidance "could open the city up to liability." He identified himself as a local photographer who posts content online and said some related matters were pending with the city and beyond the scope of his public comment.

Mayor John Corbett acknowledged the comment and the session moved on; no formal board action on the records requests or on body-camera procurement was recorded in the provided transcript.