Knox County, Tennessee commission votes unanimously to remove 143 fixed license plate readers

Event: August 31, 2025 · First reported: September 7, 2026 · 3 sources

On Monday, Aug. 31, the Knox County Commission unanimously passed an emergency ordinance barring the county from purchasing, installing or operating fixed automated license plate readers, including Flock Safety cameras. The measure, introduced by Commissioner Adam Thompson, orders the removal of the county's 143 active cameras and requires stored data to be destroyed within 30 days unless it is needed for an active criminal investigation. It also caps the county at 10 drones, which may not be used for general surveillance, and halts a $1.5 million state-funded Advanced Research and Communication Center that would have stored Flock data.

Why this matters

Knox County moved from an initial five-camera purchase to a proposed 270-camera expansion before reversing course entirely, illustrating how ALPR networks can scale through administrative contracts and how procurement and privacy objections can converge to unwind them.

Key facts

The emergency ordinance passed unanimously on Aug. 31 and requires removal of 143 active cameras plus data deletion within 30 days, absent an active investigation.
Then-Mayor Glenn Jacobs signed the original agreement in late 2020 covering a $13,500 purchase of five cameras by the Knox County Sheriff's Office.
Installation of an additional 270 readers was paused on July 27 amid Jacobs' stated privacy concerns and public opposition; he later called for a ban until regulations were in place.
On Aug. 12, Jacobs claimed the 2020 contract was invalid, arguing sheriff's office purchases exceeded the county's $100,000 small-purchase threshold without commission approval.
Incoming Mayor Betsy Henderson, who took office the following day, praised the vote, saying law enforcement work must respect constitutional rights.

Timeline

September 7, 2026Knox County Commission puts end to Flock cameras
September 17, 2026After the deadline for removal passed, here's how many Flock cameras remain

Sources

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

Knox County Commission puts end to Flock cameras (The Daily Beacon, September 7, 2026)
After the deadline for removal passed, here's how many Flock cameras remain (knoxnews.com, September 17, 2026)
After the deadline for removal passed, here's how many Flock cameras remain (Yahoo, September 17, 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 September 20, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.