Audit logs show Nashville airport's Flock license plate data searched 416 times on behalf of ICE

First reported: October 20, 2026 · 4 sources

Internal audit logs obtained by WKRN News 2 show the Metro Nashville Airport Authority's Flock Safety license plate reader database was accessed 416 times on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, even though the airport has no direct ICE contract. The logs also record roughly 3,591 searches of the airport's database for immigration-related reasons through July 7, though not all were tied to ICE. The airport authority said outside agencies with Flock access run those searches themselves and directed questions to those agencies; ICE declined to discuss its operations.

Why this matters

The case illustrates how a local agency's ALPR database can be queried by federal immigration authorities through a shared network without a direct contract, and how search-reason labels entered by outside agencies may not reliably indicate who benefits from a query.

Key facts

Audit logs cited by WKRN record 416 accesses of BNA's Flock data on behalf of ICE and about 3,591 immigration-related searches through July 7.
The Metro Nashville Airport Authority operated at least 11 Flock cameras as of last fall and says it does not run ICE searches itself.
Wilson County Sheriff's Office said its two March immigration-related queries stemmed from a traffic stop and a potential narcotics investigation, with no ICE involvement.
Flock Safety states ICE cannot access cameras or data unless an agency deliberately permits it; ICE declined to comment on its methods.
Nashville's council approved a citywide LPR ordinance in August 2023 after a six-month pilot, but the citywide program has not been implemented.

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Flock camera data at BNA accessed by ICE agents (WKRN News 2, October 20, 2026)
ICE using Flock camera data at BNA (WKRN News 2, October 18, 2026)
Flock camera data at BNA accessed by ICE agents (WKRN News 2, October 19, 2026)
Flock camera data at BNA accessed by ICE agents (WKRN News 2, October 18, 2026)

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About this record

BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.

Updated October 20, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.