Davidson County commissioners vote to end Flock camera program, reassign $76,000 to mobile command center
Summary
After extensive public comment about privacy and cross-jurisdictional data sharing, the commissioners voted to terminate the county's contract for Flock automated license-plate/vehicle-tracking cameras and to reallocate the $76,000 annual budgeted maintenance funds toward a mobile command vehicle for public safety.
The Davidson County Board of Commissioners voted on Aug. 24 to terminate the county's contract for the Flock automated license-plate reader and vehicle-tracking system and to redirect the $76,000 budgeted this year toward a mobile command center for public safety.
The decision followed hours of public comment in which residents repeatedly told the board they feared broad surveillance, cross-jurisdictional searches and uncertain storage practices. "These cameras are creating a digital profile that is stored and that is what becomes a Fourth Amendment violation," said Robert Bowen, a resident who urged the board to end county funding and to disable outside sharing of data. Bowen also cited the sheriff's office as operating roughly 25 cameras and a maintenance cost of about $76,000 a year.
Sheriff Richie Simmons told the board he had used the system as a crime-fighting tool and that access had been limited within his department. "It's a tool for us," Simmons said. "If you don't fund it, I'll abide by anything you do." County staff said cameras could be turned off immediately and removal scheduled; the contract requires notice and logistics to remove hardware but (per staff and the sheriff) the cameras can be disabled quickly with a 30-day window to end contractual obligations.
Board members said the move reflected new information about audit limits, cross-jurisdictional data sharing and recent high-profile misuse cases in other jurisdictions. Commissioners approved motions to terminate the contract and to allocate the freed funds toward a county mobile command center, with the board directing staff to implement the shutdown and follow-up reporting. The sheriff's office said it would be eligible to repurpose the previously budgeted funds for equipment aligned with public-safety needs.
The termination resolves a years-long debate in Davidson County about automated plate readers and what proponents call a public-safety tool versus residents who describe a surveillance network. The board asked staff to return with a short written report documenting the steps taken to disable county access, preserve evidence as required by law, and confirm how the $76,000 will be reassigned.
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