Clawson opposes Flock cameras in Roanoke
Danny ClawsonDemocratic candidate for Roanoke City Council
Danny Clawson said he is clearly opposed to Flock and Raven operating in Roanoke and said the city should invest in community-based violence prevention instead of surveillance.
“So I'm very clearly opposed to Flock and Raven as companies in our city because we cannot surveil our way to safety, right? We need to be investing in community-based solutions like we've been doing with things like Fed Up and these organizations, social networks uh, that are changing the way young people react and respond to violence.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
Networked automated license-plate readers record passing vehicles and let agencies search or share travel records across locations. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to prohibit these networks, keep them with legal limits, or defend their use for investigations. This tracker records attributable positions on that choice, including proposals that would affect only public funding or data access.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Roanoke Rambler transcript of a community forum at Melrose Library where Roanoke City Council candidates answered audience questions, including one on Flock cameras and the Raven gunshot detection program.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
At a Roanoke Rambler community forum at Melrose Library, an audience member asked City Council candidates whether they would work to permanently remove the company behind the city's Flock cameras and Raven gunshot detection program. The Rambler reported that the council had voted on July 6 to repeal the gunshot-detection program.
After the quotation
Clawson said violence is a social problem and that the city should fund violence interrupters and work directly with repeat offenders. He closed by saying the city has to invest in people, not technology.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Asked whether candidates would remove the company from Roanoke, Clawson said he is clearly opposed to Flock and Raven as companies in the city and that the city cannot surveil its way to safety. That is a rejection of the system in Roanoke, not a call for limits, so Condemned fits.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Flock Safety
More from this case
Read the full caseJacob Burnett says Flock-style cameras should be done away with, with warrants required if they stay
“The systems themselves can be modified to prevent nearly all abuse and be made more secure by requiring warrants for access or follow through on any data the systems collect and have all data stored on the hardware itself preventing viewing from remote locations, requiring strict login credentials and a connecting warrant number to access. These are common sense changes that if the systems are to be used I feel could correct a lot of abuse or privacy concerns but I also feel the systems should be done away with overall, especially in the realm of predictive crime analytics.”Read statement
Dean Brewer, an independent candidate for Tennessee governor, says Flock cameras should be banned
“I believe flock cameras should be banned.”Read statement
Buddy Carter says license plate cameras help investigators but need privacy safeguards
“Technologies like license plate recognition cameras can provide valuable investigative tools, but they have also raised important questions about privacy and government oversight. As these systems become more common, it is important to balance public safety with appropriate safeguards that protect individual privacy.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Clawson opposes Flock cameras in Roanoke". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3131-danny-clawson-said-he-is-clearly-opposed-to