Robert Vick
Role at the time: Independent candidate for governor of Tennessee, in an emailed statement from his campaign
Statement summary
Robert Vick's campaign for Tennessee governor told Dispute Index by email that there is no one-size-fits-all answer from top-down government on license plate readers and AI in public safety. It said local leaders, law enforcement and citizens should have the final say on whether to use the systems, how they are used and what safeguards apply.
“Every city, town, and county in Tennessee has unique safety needs, values, and budgets. Local leaders, law enforcement, and citizens should have the final say on whether to implement these systems, how they are used, and what safeguards are put in place to respect individual dignity and privacy.”
Read the full email
When it comes to technology like automated license plate readers (ALPRs) and artificial intelligence in public safety, there is no one-size-fits-all answer from top-down government. The balance between public safety and personal privacy is best determined at the local level by the people who live in those communities. Every city, town, and county in Tennessee has unique safety needs, values, and budgets. Local leaders, law enforcement, and citizens should have the final say on whether to implement these systems, how they are used, and what safeguards are put in place to respect individual dignity and privacy.
Why we used this label
The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. The campaign neither supports nor opposes the systems and leaves adoption, use and safeguards to each community, so we labeled it Mixed or conditional. Local choice with safeguards fits the Guardrails step.