Murfreesboro residents oppose city’s $240K Flock camera contract

14 August 2026.

Murfreesboro residents presented concerns about the city's Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) and gunshot detection system in a city council meeting on August 14, 2026, following the June renewal of a contract exceeding $240,000 with Flock Safety. Speakers raised privacy concerns, questioning whether the level of surveillance was appropriate for a Tennessee city and expressing worry about tracking of innocent citizens. According to opposition group DeFlock the USA, approximately 154 ALPR cameras operate in and around Murfreesboro.

One resident spoke in favor of the technology, citing operational statistics showing successes increased from 403 in 2024 to 791 in 2025, then 652 in the first quarter of 2026. Supporters argue the system helps police solve crimes. Opponents countered that law enforcement agencies should investigate people only with legitimate cause rather than collecting data on all citizens for potential future use.

Flock Safety has implemented policy changes in response to reported misuse incidents nationally, including reducing default data retention from 30 to 7 days, requiring case numbers for searches, and implementing automatic lockouts for abnormal search behavior. Despite resident requests to withdraw from the contract, the city council declined to do so. Councilmember Austin Maxwell stated support for the technology based on police effectiveness and noted existing guardrails, while indicating willingness to improve the system through public input. The Murfreesboro Police Department did not comment on the meeting, instead referencing previous council statements about the Flock system.

Residents in other communities can check their local government records to determine whether their jurisdiction has contracted with Flock Safety or similar ALPR providers.

Read the original reporting: wsmv.com.

Related record: Austin, Texas in the jurisdictions directory.