📄 Flock Safety ALPR Documents – Maryville, Tennessee
Public records and city correspondence related to
Maryville, Tennessee’s use of Flock Safety automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras
and related AI surveillance programs in Blount County, Tennessee.
All files are hosted on MaryvillePrivacy.org.
🔎 Key Findings From the Records
This section summarizes what stands out after reviewing contracts, permits, emails, training decks, maps, and Flock marketing material produced by the City of Maryville, Tennessee.
💰 Contracts & Long-Term Costs
- Maryville entered into multi-year agreements covering roughly 16 fixed cameras, with Year-1 costs around $48,000 for Flock services and hardware (see contract set and quotes).
- Using the calculator below, 10-year projections with modest annual increases reach the hundreds of thousands of dollars for Maryville alone.
- Contracts and law-enforcement agreements are largely vendor-drafted; they give Flock broad control over data storage and operations, with limited local privacy protections.
📍 Camera Locations & Coverage
- Maps and TDOT permitting records show cameras placed at busy corridors like US-129 Bypass, W Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Foothills Mall Drive, and near downtown Harper Avenue.
- Photos and Flock coverage proposals document daytime, high-resolution imaging of vehicles — including trailers and out-of-state tags — even when plates are partially obscured.
- Additional proposals and expansion PDFs show interest in moving and adding cameras to widen coverage beyond the original footprint.
🧠 Training, Multi-Geo & “Patterns of Life”
- Flock “Multi-Geo” materials show officers using vehicle-movement history alone (city-to-city patterns, “pipelines,” and frequent crossings) to flag “vehicles of interest.”
- Slides describe cases built primarily from Flock hits and historical travel paths, then used to initiate traffic stops or surveillance.
- Administrator certificates and conference agendas confirm that Maryville personnel receive ongoing vendor-led training, including sessions on “real-time policing” and AI-driven tools.
🚁 Drone & Aerial Surveillance Proposals
- Emails and proposal documents show Flock pitching a drone-as-first-responder program across Maryville, Alcoa, and Blount County, with vendor-supplied pilots and FAA waiver handling.
- Pricing estimates run between roughly $300,000 and $600,000 per year, depending on the number of docks/radars and coverage area.
- Together with fixed cameras, these proposals point toward a layered AI surveillance network rather than isolated license-plate readers.
🚨 Alerts, Hits & Real-World Examples
- Screenshots and alert images show NCIC “stolen plate” hits and multi-camera tracking of the same vehicle across Maryville and Alcoa within minutes.
- Example searches highlight how officers can filter by tag, plate, make, color, vehicle body style, and time window to reconstruct movement.
- Dashboard analytics demonstrate very high traffic volumes at several camera locations, with hundreds of thousands of vehicle scans over short periods.
📚 Transparency, Fees & Gaps in the Record
- Maryville charged $904 for this TPRA production while omitting attachments referenced in emails and providing no sworn certification that other categories don’t exist.
- City responses list zero citizen complaints about Flock, despite multiple written complaints submitted within the same period.
- Additional TPRA requests are pending with Maryville, Blount County, and neighboring jurisdictions to close those gaps and obtain sample images of government-owned vehicles and general traffic.
Background: Tennessee Public Records on Maryville’s Flock Program
On October 23, 2025, MaryvillePrivacy.org submitted a
Tennessee Public Records Act (TPRA) request for
Maryville, Tennessee’s Flock Safety program—contracts, emails, permits, policies, and related materials.
The City of Maryville charged $904 for “labor” before releasing a thumb drive of records.
After review, we believe the City’s production is incomplete and non-compliant with TPRA:
many emails reference missing attachments; the City reported zero citizen complaints despite at least
two complaints we filed within the last 45 days; and no certification was provided affirming that omitted categories do not exist.
We have requested a supplemental production and proper certification as required by Tennessee law.
In parallel, we filed TPRA requests with Blount County, Tennessee and neighboring cities to obtain actual sample images captured by Flock cameras so residents can see what is recorded and retained.
Higher per-file amounts suggest fees may be functioning as a barrier to transparency under TPRA’s “reasonable costs” standard in Tennessee.
City records include a Flock document titled “Notification of Data Exposure.”
We are seeking clarification from Flock Safety on the scope of that notice and whether Maryville, Tennessee data were affected.
See: document.
Projected Public Spend (10 years – Maryville, Tennessee)
Estimates assume renewals for 16 cameras with a $48,000 Year-1 cost (from the contract set), and an annual price increase.
Examples with Year-1 = $48,000:
• 3% increase → ~$550,266 over 10 years
• 5% increase → ~$603,739 over 10 years
• 8% increase → ~$695,355 over 10 years
Our aim is straightforward: inform neighbors, document risks, and
advocate removal of mass-surveillance cameras in Maryville, Tennessee.
Use the filters below to jump directly to correspondence from Chief Tony Crisp (Maryville Police Chief),
Lt. Rod Fernandez (Maryville PD), Flock (Sales/Rep), TDOT, and
Finance/Purchasing.
📬 Email Productions (Lt. Rod Fernandez — Maryville Police Department)
Monthly exports of “Fernandez emails” (PDF). Use the search box above or the quick filters to narrow results.
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📎 Supporting Records (Contracts, Permits, Memos, Briefings)
Contracts, permits, installation letters, quotes, training slides, drone materials, budget books, and other attachments pulled from Chief Tony Crisp, Lt. Rod Fernandez, Flock, TDOT, and city departments. Use the filters above to zero in on contracts, drones, training, or TDOT permitting.
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⚙️ Flock Safety Patent No. 11,416,545 – Beyond License Plates
Flock’s patent (U.S. Patent 11,416,545) describes AI modules that can classify people (sex, race, clothing) and estimate height/weight, in addition to vehicles, bicycles, and animals — then store those outputs with time/location for historical search and “pattern-of-life” analysis.
These are not ordinary “license-plate readers.” They are advanced AI surveillance systems that can impact residents in Tennessee communities like Maryville, Alcoa, and Blount County.
Have documents or tips related to Flock Safety in Maryville, Tennessee? Help us keep this archive complete.
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