Mt. Juliet and Lebanon have been using Flock license plate recognition cameras for years, but backlash is now mounting against the heavily debated law enforcement technology.
Residents have been speaking at Lebanon city government meetings asking for the removal of the license plate readers and recently a small group of protesters emerged with signs at North Mt. Juliet and Lebanon roads in Mt. Juliet.
Mikal Qualls called the license plate readers “warrantless surveillance,” and has asked the Lebanon City Council to remove its Flock equipment.
“They are essentially putting up cameras in every location they can to collect pattern-of-life data so they can essentially track you,” Qualls, a Ward 4 Lebanon resident, said. “It’s un-American. It’s just
dangerous. If you don’t have privacy, you have nothing.”
There are more than 125 automated license plate recognition cameras in Wilson County as debate builds nationally over the technology’s use as a crime-fighting tool against privacy infringements.
Police and supporters argue that Flock equipment and other license plate readers make communities safer by helping apprehend suspects wanted for serious and violent crimes, recover stolen vehicles and expedite investigative leads.
Opponents question whether the technology violates the Fourth Amendment and brings the potential for abuse, pointing to national reports of law enforcement officials charged, fired, placed on leave or investigated for misuse of the technology.
“Maintaining trust means being transparent with the public about what the technology does, why we use it, how the information is handled, and what protections are in place to prevent misuse,” Mt. Juliet Mayor James Maness said. “If concerns are raised about our actual use of the technology, we should take those concerns seriously and address them.
“At the same time, I don’t think hypothetical misuse should overshadow the legitimate public-safety benefits the technology provides when it is used responsibly.”
Mt. Juliet was an early adopter of Flock technology
Mt. Juliet was one of the initial local cities to jump in big on the installation of the Flock automated license plate recognition cameras in 2020, starting with 37 locations.
The city now has 80 license plate recognition cameras deployed throughout the city in a program named Guardian Shield.
Mt. Juliet reported the readers have led to 750 "outcomes” of police action during that time through August 2026. That includes the apprehension of 199 wanted persons, 230 stolen vehicles, locating 11 missing adults and six missing or runaway juveniles and 101 drug-related violations through Sept. 21.
Lebanon has 33 license plate readers and the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office has readers in 14 sites.
The readers are used for criminal investigations and not for traffic enforcement, expired tags or insurance, nor does the system retrieve that information, police have said.
Meanwhile, Mt. Juliet has experienced lower crime since 2020 despite continued population growth.
“While I would not attribute our lower crime rate or reduced staffing growth solely to LPR, it is absolutely one of the tools helping us maintain a high level of public safety without having to increase staffing at the same pace as our population growth,” Mt. Juliet Chief of Police Tyler Chandler said. “The technology does not replace police officers. It helps the officers we have be more effective.”
But critics and some lawmakers have raised concerns about the potential for misuse of the surveillance network.
U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-TN., has introduced the Protection Against Mass Surveillance Act that would prohibit federal funding for any automated surveillance system that identifies, tracks or records individuals that would include an automated license plate recognition system. The bill also stipulates that a state or local government cannot use federal funds to purchase or contract to use any automated surveillance system.
And other legislators have pointed out how some officers misused the system.
Kentucky U.S. Senator Rand Paul recently posted on X: "They told us the Flock cameras were for catching criminals. In Indiana, a deputy used them to track his girlfriend 2,055 times. Every database built to watch you eventually gets used by someone with a grudge and a password."
Coopertown Mayor Jeff Smith recently announced that Flock camerasare being removed from that city in Robertson County after pushback there.At the same time, Chandler said recent attention around license plate reader technology has generated an increase of support from Mt. Juliet residents and business owners for the cameras based on feedback toward police.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Protection or spying? Flock camera backlash grows in Lebanon, Mt. Juliet
