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From the Norris Bulletin
NORRIS, Tenn. — The City of Norris has discontinued its use of a Flock Safety automated license-plate reader that had previously operated near the city’s eastern entrance.
According to information published in the August 13 edition of The Norris Bulletin, City Manager Bailey Whited confirmed that Norris installed one Flock camera in 2022. It was positioned along East Norris Road near Highway 61, one of the most heavily traveled entrances into the city.
The camera photographed passing license plates and collected information such as the vehicle’s make, model, color and other identifying characteristics. The city reportedly paid between $2,500 and $3,000 annually for the camera rental and access to the company’s larger law-enforcement database.
City officials said the system was intended to support criminal investigations and prosecutions. However, the city reportedly did not maintain database access logs and had not received confirmation that information from the camera helped solve a criminal case in Norris.
Access to locally collected data was limited to law-enforcement officers certified by the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, according to the report.
The service was discontinued after funding for the camera was left out of the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget, which was approved in June 2025. The device was decommissioned in July 2025 but reportedly remained in place until it was physically removed around January 2026.
The decision to discontinue the service was handled through the budget process and was not considered through a separate City Council vote.
Automated license-plate readers have become the subject of growing national debate. Supporters argue that the technology can help locate stolen vehicles and identify suspects, while critics have raised concerns about privacy, data access and the tracking of people who are not suspected of crimes.
