An attempt to cancel Crossville’s Flock camera contract failed among Crossville City Council members.
Crossville Mayor RJ Crawford made the motion, saying the cameras have generated enough concern that he no longer believes they are worthwhile. Crawford said removing them now would not prevent a future council from bringing the technology back.
“This is just something that is just not, it’s hard to stomach for a lot of people,” Crawford said, “And my concern is that it’s creating a lot of unnecessary noise when we have so many positive things. And if I had to answer this question, is the juice worth the squeeze in regarding flock cameras, my answer is no.”
Crawford said he has heard concerns about the cameras from people outside council meetings, including patients and staff.
“There’s been a lot of people in this room, and I’ve been very fortunate in my practice to talk to a lot of patients and a lot of staff. And though they’re not here, they’re here in spirit.” Crawford said.
Resident Monique Romero said she moved to Tennessee to escape the surveillance and government overreach she experienced while living in California.
“In regards to all of this surveillance state that we’re just rubber stamping, I understand that it sounds great on paper, it looks wonderful, we’re saving money, we don’t have to hire as many police officers,” Romero said. “But this, I guarantee you, is not what the Founding Fathers intended.”
Romero said that while she supports the work the council has done to revitalize the downtown area and the Palace Theatre, she cannot support the use of 24-hour surveillance.
“We have to be the torchbearers that step in,” Romero said. “If we don’t speak up, then this will keep going down this path, and it’s not gonna be a good path.”