COLLEGEDALE, Tenn. – The Collegedale Police Department is reassuring residents that its use of automated license plate reader technology is governed by strict policies and constitutional protections, following growing public discussion about the use of Flock Safety cameras.
In a statement released July 29, the department said it has used Flock camera technology for several years and maintains departmental policies that regulate how the system is accessed and used. Officials emphasized that those policies work alongside security measures and accountability standards built into the Flock system.
Police said protecting the constitutional rights of residents remains a core principle of the department’s mission.
“We do not take lightly the responsibility of balancing public safety with personal liberty,” the department said, adding that it will comply with any future changes to Tennessee law governing automated license plate reader technology.
Officials also sought to correct what they described as widespread misinformation about how the cameras operate.
According to the department, Flock cameras capture only limited images of vehicles traveling on public roadways, where license plates are already visible to the public and law enforcement officers. The cameras do not continuously track individuals or monitor activity on private property.
Instead, the system records a brief image of a vehicle as it passes a camera location. Authorized officers may search those images only for legitimate law enforcement purposes, such as locating stolen vehicles, finding vehicles connected to missing persons or investigating criminal cases.
The department stressed that its Flock system does not use facial recognition technology.
Officials said facial recognition is not available within the software used by the Collegedale Police Department, and the images captured generally do not contain enough detail to identify individuals in that manner.
To increase transparency, the department has released sample camera images so residents can see the limited information available to investigators.
Police also outlined several safeguards designed to prevent misuse of the system.
According to the department, all searches create an electronic audit trail documenting who conducted the search and the law enforcement purpose behind it. Captured images and related data are automatically deleted after 30 days.
Officials warned that any misuse of the technology could result in disciplinary action, termination of employment or criminal prosecution when appropriate.
As part of its transparency efforts, the department maintains a public Flock Transparency Portal that provides additional information about the agency’s use of license plate reader technology, including its Automated License Plate Reader policy.
The Collegedale Police Department said it remains committed to using the technology responsibly, transparently and only for legitimate law enforcement purposes.
