Local police departments across Tennessee repeatedly used license plate reader networks for the Department of Homeland Security, according to an audit report obtained by the Scene. Officers made requests with keywords like “ICE” and “Wanted by DHS” on networks provided by Flock Safety, one of several LPR vendors considered by Nashville. Efforts to procure LPRs in Nashville have stalled in the Metro Council following a controversial pilot program and hesitation from Mayor Freddie O’Connell.
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As a councilmember, O’Connell was an LPR skeptic. As mayor, he voiced support for expanding police technology, but did not include LPR funding in his recent budget and abandoned his push for the related FUSUS camera network, citing concerns for its potential misuse by the federal government. O’Connell criticized recent mass arrests and traffic traps aimed at immigrants conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The Scene reviewed a log of recorded searches on local Flock systems that shows police regularly use such technology to collaborate with federal law enforcement agencies.
Police in Nolensville, Lenoir City, Oak Ridge, Jackson and Memphis conducted searches on local Flock Safety license plate networks with keywords including “ICE,” “Wanted by DHS,” “Homeland Security” and “HSI,” the identifying acronym for Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE offshoot agency also under DHS. The Murfreesboro City Council and Wilson County both recently adopted or expanded Flock Safety camera networks, as has Springfield, Tenn.
Almost two years ago, weeks before O’Connell was elected mayor, a divided council approved full LPR implementation after a bumpy six-month pilot program during which Metro violated its own guidelines mandating proper signage. In March, Nashville Councilmembers Tonya Hancock, David Benton, Jeff Eslick and Jennifer Webb sponsored a resolution intended to compel LPR procurement by MNPD and O’Connell. Within a week, multiple committees voted to defer the resolution indefinitely and Hancock withdrew the resolution.
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On Monday, Benton appeared with conservative U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles at a Memorial Day rally in downtown Nashville. Benton stoked fears about immigrants, cast immigration as an “invasion” and reiterated his support for LPR technology, prompting a critical response from Metro Council’s Immigrant Caucus the next day.
“Councilmember Benton does not deserve to hold public office,” reads a statement from Benton’s colleagues. "His conduct and comments are unbecoming of an elected official, particularly one representing a district with a significant Latino population."
