Maryville Residents for Privacy

Inside Maryville’s Flock AI Drone Program – Tennessee Public Records Investigation

TL;DR for Maryville and Blount County residents:
Tennessee public records show Flock Safety pitched a regional drone as first responder program to Maryville, Alcoa, Blount County, and the Blount County 911 Center. The proposal describes vendor-managed operations (including FAA-related work), a dedicated pilot during launch, and an estimated annual cost of $300,000 to $600,000 per year.

One line reality check:
This is not just “a drone” – it’s a recurring subscription-style surveillance program that can expand coverage over neighborhoods, schools, roadways, and daily routines.

Flock Safety promo image for a drone-as-first-responder policing program in Tennessee

Inside Maryville’s Flock AI Drone Program

A Tennessee public-records investigation into a proposed drone-as-first-responder program discussed with agencies in Maryville, Alcoa, Blount County, and the Blount County 911 Center.

This page provides: documented, source-based summaries of what the records show, the estimated cost range, the proposed coverage, and what residents can ask officials to disclose (policies, limits, audit logs, and retention).

SECTION 1 · Overview and Key Points

🚨 What the Tennessee records show

Newly obtained public records show Flock Safety pitching a regional drone-as-first-responder program discussed with agencies connected to Maryville, Alcoa, Blount County, and the Blount County 911 Center.

  • Planning calls and discussions reference local and county public-safety agencies.
  • Flock describes handling operational compliance items (including FAA-related work as part of the vendor-managed program model).
  • Flock proposes supporting program launch with a dedicated pilot (40 hrs/week) during rollout.
  • Estimated annual cost range shown in the materials: $300,000 to $600,000 per year for the regional concept.
  • Proposed coverage areas include schools, neighborhoods, major roadways, and residential areas in the Maryville and Alcoa region.
📌 KEY FACT FROM THE RECORDS
The proposed model operates like a recurring vendor-run program rather than a one-time purchase. That means the public cost can scale over time depending on expansion and renewals.
Maryville Privacy Assessment: If a private vendor operates a recurring aerial surveillance program over routine public life, residents should expect clear written rules, auditability, and limits before deployment – not after.

SECTION 2 · Visual Summary

🧠 What this proposal can feel like to residents

This illustration helps readers quickly understand the basic concern: a wide-area drone program can be both expensive and intrusive if policies, limits, and public oversight are not clearly defined.

Concept illustration of a surveillance drone over a neighborhood with a taxpayer cost tag
Concept illustration for readers: a proposed regional drone program with major recurring annual cost and broad area coverage.

SECTION 3 · Primary Public Records

📄 Primary documents released under Tennessee public records

These files were released through public-records requests and include proposal slides, an email thread, and a map and quote package.

Maryville Privacy Assessment: These documents are helpful because they show what a vendor is proposing before residents ever see a public briefing or a clear policy framework.

SECTION 4 · Drone Program vs Existing ALPR Cameras

⚖️ How a drone layer differs from roadside cameras

Records show Maryville and Alcoa already use Flock ALPR cameras. The drone proposal represents an additional layer: mobile aerial cameras deployed to incidents and patrol zones.

🚁 Drone-as-first-responder concept

  • Mobile aerial cameras over neighborhoods, schools, and major roads.
  • Real-time deployments to calls, alerts, or requests.
  • Estimated program cost shown in the records: $300,000 to $600,000 per year.
  • Vendor-managed program model described in the documents.

📸 Existing roadside ALPR cameras

  • Fixed cameras on roadways in Maryville and Alcoa.
  • Capture plate, vehicle traits, time, and location for passing vehicles.
  • Data stored in a cloud portal and searchable by authorized users.
  • View the map:

    Maryville Flock Camera Map
Maryville Privacy Assessment: If a drone program is added on top of existing camera systems, residents deserve plain answers about how long data is kept, who can access it, what auditing exists, and what limits apply when people are not suspected of wrongdoing.

SECTION 5 · Coverage Map From The Records

🗺️ Proposed coverage areas in Blount County region

This map image is derived from the public records and reflects the intended coverage zones discussed in the proposal.

Annotated drone coverage map proposed for Maryville, Alcoa, and surrounding communities in Blount County region.
Coverage map image released in the records, showing proposed zones that include neighborhoods, schools, and major corridors.

📌 What residents can ask about this map

  • Which zones would be flown routinely versus only for calls.
  • What flight logs, dispatch records, and audit logs would be kept.
  • Where footage is stored, who has access, and for how long.
  • Whether drone video can be searched later for people not suspected of a crime.

SECTION 6 · Why This Matters Locally

🏙️ Why this proposal matters for Maryville area residents

  • Aerial surveillance can expand coverage beyond fixed camera locations and into residential areas.
  • Recurring subscription-style programs can grow into long-term public spending commitments.
  • Any program should have clear written rules: where it can fly, when it can record, and what is retained.
  • Residents should expect controls, auditing, and transparency before routine flights begin.
Maryville Privacy Assessment: Oversight is not a political talking point. It is basic governance. A wide-area aerial program should not operate on “trust us” when it affects ordinary residents who are not suspected of any crime.

SECTION 7 · Ask Officials For Transparency

🗣️ Questions residents can ask city and county leaders

  • Is any drone program being pursued now, and if so, what phase is it in.
  • What written policy governs flight authorization, recording, retention, and public reporting.
  • What audit logs exist and who reviews them.
  • What the estimated annual cost would be and what would trigger expansion.
  • Whether public meetings will be held before any contract is approved.

MaryvillePrivacy.org is a resident-run transparency project. If you have additional records, use the site contact options in the footer.

Maryville Privacy Assessment: Asking for policies, audits, limits, and transparency reporting is not anti-police. It is pro-constitutional safeguards and pro-accountability.

SECTION 8 · Q and A

❓ Common questions about the proposed drone program

Is this proposal confirmed as approved or active?

This page focuses on what the public records show about the proposal and discussions. Residents can ask officials for current status, timelines, and any contract or policy documents.

What should residents ask to see before any program goes live?

A written policy, retention rules, data-sharing limits, audit logs, access controls, and public reporting on how often deployments occur.

Why does the annual cost matter?

A recurring annual program can expand over time and create long-term public spending commitments. Residents can ask what triggers expansion and what oversight exists.

What is the simplest transparency request?

Ask officials to publish the full proposal package, the current status, a draft policy, and a commitment to public reporting (deployments, audits, and retention).

This page is part of the MaryvillePrivacy.org transparency project, documenting surveillance technology proposals in Maryville, Alcoa, and Blount County. It summarizes what Tennessee public records show about a proposed drone-as-first-responder program, including estimated annual costs and intended coverage concepts, and highlights questions residents can ask about policies, auditing, retention, and oversight.