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License-plate readers · Putnam County

Putnam County

Using license-plate readers · 3 agencies documented

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Cookeville Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety, Axon
Cameras
10
10 fixed Flock license plate readers, per the Sept. 17, 2026 council minutes and Flock order form (the police chief said no cameras were being added). Separately, a 2024 Axon quote attached to the same minutes lists 61 'Axon Fleet 3 ALPR' in-car licenses; those are not counted here.
Contract
Flock Safety: $13,125 year · approved by City Council (date not given in source) · One-year lease for five Flock cameras approved about five years before September 2026, per the Herald-Citizen. (Herald-Citizen, Sept. 17, 2026)
Contract
Flock Safety: $16,750 first year; $15,000 second year term · approved by City Council, 2023 (Thursday meeting reported July 6, 2023) · Two-year lease for five additional readers, bringing the total to 10. (Herald-Citizen, July 6, 2023)
Contract
Flock Safety: $60,000 total · from June 8, 2026 · approved by City Council, 4-0 (one member absent), 2026-09-17 · Two-year contract at $30,000 a year combining two earlier five-camera contracts into one covering 10 readers. The Flock order form's term runs from 6/8/2026 into June 2028; the end day is not legible in the PDF. The order form lists 30-day data retention and auto-renewal. (City of Cookeville, Sept. 17, 2026; City of Cookeville, Sept. 17, 2026)
Contract
Axon: $1,226,248.68 term · from Oct. 1, 2024 · to Sept. 30, 2029 · Five-year Axon in-car and body-worn camera contract; the quote includes 61 Axon Fleet 3 ALPR licenses. The council approved the year-three payment on the consent agenda on Sept. 17, 2026. The total covers the whole camera package, not only the plate-reading licenses. (City of Cookeville, Sept. 17, 2026)
  1. July 2023 The City Council approved a two-year lease for five more license plate readers, doubling the department's count to 10. (Herald-Citizen, July 6, 2023)
  2. Oct. 2023 The City Council passed a resolution supporting the police plate-reader program, which TDOT required as part of an application to place readers on state routes. (Herald-Citizen, Oct. 20, 2023)
  3. Sept. 3, 2026 A resident spoke against license plate readers during public comment at the City Council meeting. (City of Cookeville, Sept. 3, 2026)
  4. Sept. 17, 2026 After a public hearing where many residents spoke, the City Council voted 4-0 (Councilman Bagci absent) to let the city manager sign a two-year, 10-camera Flock contract. Council members England, Gilbert, Eldridge and Parkison voted yes. (City of Cookeville, Sept. 17, 2026; Herald-Citizen, Sept. 17, 2026; Herald-Citizen, Sept. 15, 2026; The UC Now, Sept. 17, 2026)
  5. Sept. 17, 2026 On its consent agenda, the council approved the year-three payment on the police department's five-year Axon in-car and body camera contract, which includes in-car plate-reading licenses. (City of Cookeville, Sept. 17, 2026)
  6. Oct. 1, 2026 A resident raised Fourth Amendment concerns about the Flock readers during public comment. (City of Cookeville, Oct. 1, 2026)
  7. Oct. 15, 2026 Several residents asked the City Council to reconsider the Flock contract. (The UC Now, Oct. 15, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The council's 2026 contract was an operating agreement for existing cameras; the police chief said no Flock readers were being added.
  • 2023 lease: the Herald-Citizen article, published the morning of July 6, 2023, describes approval at a 'Thursday' council meeting. The exact date was not confirmed and could be in late June 2023.
  • TDOT resolution: the article dated Oct. 20, 2023 refers to a 'Thursday' meeting, so it was likely Oct. 19, 2023. Only the month is used.
  • Oct. 2026 public comment: the UC Now article (Oct. 15, 2026) says 'Thursday'; Oct. 15, 2026 was a Thursday and a scheduled council meeting, so that date is used.
  • The order form's FlockOS feature list includes nationwide plate lookup across cameras opted into Flock's network. That is a product description, not a statement of the city's sharing settings. The Flock transparency portal could not be loaded (HTTP 403).
  • Aug. 2026: Chief Scott Winfree said he and Sheriff Eddie Farris had discussed a real-time crime center, but the city had no plans to build one (Herald-Citizen, Aug. 18, 2026).

From agency records.

Monterey Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No total disclosed. The August 2026 proposal would have replaced three of the town's Flock readers with Axon cameras.
  1. April 2022 The police chief requested two plate-reading cameras near the interstate exits in the town's proposed budget. (The UC Now, April 19, 2022)
  2. Aug. 2026 Police leaders proposed to the town's Law Committee moving from Flock to Axon cameras. They cited expected Flock price increases, and said Axon stores data in-house while Flock data can be shared widely. (Herald-Citizen, Aug. 17, 2026)
  3. Aug. 2026 The Board of Mayor and Aldermen tabled the proposal to swap three Flock readers for Axon cameras. (Herald-Citizen, Aug. 24, 2026)
  4. Sept. 16, 2026 Police said a Flock alert led officers to a stolen vehicle and a missing juvenile from Missouri near exit 301. (The UC Now, Sept. 17, 2026; Herald-Citizen, Sept. 17, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The Law Committee and board meetings are described only as 'Monday'. The articles are dated Aug. 17 and Aug. 24, 2026, so only the month is used. The September stop is dated Sept. 16, 2026 from the Cookeville police chief's Sept. 17 remark that it happened 'just yesterday' (Herald-Citizen).
  • The 2022 item was a budget proposal. Whether it was funded was not confirmed.
  • Herald-Citizen items were read from paywall previews only.
  • Herald-Citizen (Aug. 24, 2026): unless the town withdraws, its Flock contract runs through 2028.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Putnam County Sheriff's Office

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
No exact count. In August 2024 Sheriff Farris said the county had 'several' state-grant-funded readers, and the commission authorized $50,000 for 10 more.
  1. 2024 After a Highway Patrol trooper was shot during an I-40 traffic stop in Cookeville, the Putnam County Commission authorized the sheriff's department to buy more license plate reader cameras. (Herald-Citizen, Aug. 28, 2024)
  2. June 15, 2026 In a radio interview, Sheriff Eddie Farris proposed adding cameras to make part of South Jefferson Avenue at I-40 a 'live crime center' within four years. (Herald-Citizen, July 30, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The vendor and the commission meeting date are not given; the Herald-Citizen says the purchase was authorized when the FY2024-25 budget passed. The article is dated Aug. 28, 2024, so only the year is used.
  • The EFF Atlas of Surveillance lists 11 Flock readers for this office as of September 2025, citing a Pittsboro Police record that could not be opened. That is a lead only.
  • Nothing found shows use in the last 18 months, so the status is unconfirmed.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Statewide

  1. 2014 Tennessee law (T.C.A. § 55-10-302, added by Acts 2014, ch. 625) bars government agencies from keeping data captured by automated license plate recognition systems for more than 90 days. Data kept as part of an ongoing investigation may be held longer but must be destroyed when the investigation ends without charges or when the related criminal case concludes. (City of Murfreesboro, Sept. 15, 2023)
  2. 2021 A 2021 state law authorizes TDOT to let law enforcement agencies install cameras on interstate and state highway rights of way. TDOT later said the law gives it permission to allow such cameras but does not require it to. (Tennessee Lookout, May 20, 2022; Tennessee Department of Transportation, April 23, 2025)
  3. April 22, 2021 Gov. Bill Lee signed SB 699 (Public Chapter 201), which made captured plate data from license plate reader systems confidential and not open to public inspection. The Senate passed it 29-0 and the House 86-1. As passed, the confidentiality provision was set to expire July 1, 2026. (Plural Policy (Open States), April 22, 2021)
  4. March 2022 TDOT turned down a West Tennessee police department's request to put a plate reader on a state highway right of way. The department cited an ongoing review of the state's role in plate-reader use. A Tennessee Lookout column reported that the Lee administration was reviewing privacy, data collection and public safety questions around the cameras. (Tennessee Lookout, May 20, 2022)
  5. April 6, 2022 HB 2586, sponsored by Rep. Michael Curcio, would have raised the state's 90-day limit on keeping plate-reader data to 100 days. It was taken off notice in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee and did not pass. (FastDemocracy, April 6, 2022)
  6. April 23, 2025 TDOT issued Traffic Memorandum TM 2504, which sets out how local governments and law enforcement agencies get permission for surveillance cameras, including plate readers, on interstate and state route rights of way. Each request is reviewed by the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, regional TDOT offices and TDOT's Excess Land Committee, and needs a signed license agreement before installation. Agencies with cameras already on state right of way must go through the same steps. (Tennessee Department of Transportation, April 23, 2025)
  7. July 28, 2026 State Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knox County) said he plans to talk with other state lawmakers about plate-reader limits before the January legislative session. Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) questioned whether the cameras are needed. U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett has introduced a federal bill that would bar federal funds from paying for license plate readers. (WVLT / WMC Action News 5, July 28, 2026)
  8. Aug. 20, 2026 The Tennessee Sheriffs' Association and the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police announced a joint effort to draft recommended principles and model-policy guidance for plate-reader use, which they expect to present to the General Assembly before the 2027 session. Safeguards under consideration include a documented law enforcement purpose for searches, human verification of alerts before enforcement, access limited to trained staff, search audits, rules on sharing, retention and deletion, and discipline for misuse. (Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police / Tennessee Sheriffs' Association, Aug. 20, 2026)
  9. Aug. 21, 2026 TBI said it supports responsible use of plate-recognition technology, limits access to trained, authorized staff, bars personal and political use, and requires audits. Director David Rausch said the technology must be used responsibly with clear rules and accountability. TBI said it would work with partners and policymakers on standards. (WTVF NewsChannel 5, Aug. 21, 2026; WZTV FOX 17 / WTVC NewsChannel 9, Aug. 23, 2026)
  10. Sept. 2026 In a WVLT interview, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said plate readers are likely legal when they collect data in plain view for a limited purpose. He said he expects the General Assembly to take up the issue, and that lawmakers could choose a ban or set limits on how long data is kept and how it is used. No formal Attorney General opinion was cited. (WSMV / WVLT, Sept. 17, 2026)

State agencies

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
No count disclosed. TBI describes using plate-reader data in investigations; it did not say whether it owns cameras.
  1. 2024 TBI said plate-reader data helped investigators quickly narrow in on suspects in the shooting of a Tennessee state trooper. (WZTV FOX 17 / WTVC NewsChannel 9, Aug. 23, 2026)
  2. Aug. 21, 2026 TBI said in a statement that it uses plate-recognition technology in some cases. It said Georgia plate data helped find a 1-year-old taken from Tennessee and helped track a missing at-risk adult to Colorado. TBI said its policy bars personal, political and retaliatory use and requires audits. (WTVF NewsChannel 5, Aug. 21, 2026; WZTV FOX 17 / WTVC NewsChannel 9, Aug. 23, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The statement does not name a vendor. In the cases TBI cited, the plate data came from other states' or agencies' cameras.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Tennessee Highway Patrol (Department of Safety and Homeland Security)

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
No count disclosed.
  1. Oct. 15, 2012 WCYB reported that a Tennessee state trooper's cruiser had a four-camera plate-reader system that checked plates against a database, and that the patrol was adding such systems on an ongoing basis. (WCYB, Oct. 15, 2012)
  2. April 23, 2025 Under TDOT's TM 2504, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security reviews every application for a plate reader or surveillance camera on state highway right of way. (Tennessee Department of Transportation, April 23, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • No current source found on THP's own plate-reader program. The 2012 report is the latest found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.