Knox County, Tennessee, could vote on August 31 to force the Knox County Sheriff's Office to remove its roughly 140 Flock surveillance cameras already in use after commissioners raised pointed questions about whether the system was installed without proper public oversight.
The dispute fits into the larger national fight over who gets to decide when powerful monitoring tools are introduced into a community, and how taxpayer money is used to make that happen.
Here's what to know
Prompted by a plan to add a whopping 270 more cameras with state grant money, Knox County commissioners are weighing whether the sheriff's office should instead dismantle its current Flock system, according to WVLT.
This vote could order the sheriff's office to take down the roughly 140 cameras it already operates within 30 days.
Commissioners are expected to consider that question through an emergency ordinance. WVLT reported that because the measure was introduced on an emergency basis, it could pass after a single reading rather than the usual two, so long as at least eight of eleven commissioners supported it.
Additionally, after a meeting between the sheriff's office and Flock staff, it was revealed that sheriffs had been buying $24,990 worth of Flock cameras in batches to avoid the $25,000 purchasing limit, which would've required mayoral review and approval, per WVLT.
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As a result, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said the purchases "went unnoticed for years," according to the outlet.
More background
For several commissioners, the main issue is not just the presence of the cameras but the way the program was created under Sheriff Tom Spangler. They said the system took shape with little oversight even as hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars were being spent.
County Commissioner Larsen Jay, who is calling for the vote and the cameras' removal, said, per WVLT, "You're getting a raw deal, Sheriff-Elect Gibson. I agree some surveillance tools may provide some help. But in this case, KCSO put this train in motion way before we had the chance and the community had the chance to be a part of it."
WVLT also reported that Jacobs said the details behind the batched purchases could make the sheriff's office's Flock agreement null and void regardless of what the commission decides.
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