A Tennessee county commissioner has attracted widespread attention after telling a representative of surveillance firm Flock Safety, at a public meeting, that the company's chief executive should be "hanged publicly for treason". Kingsport Commissioner Joe Carr made the remark during an 13 August work session, describing Flock as "one of the most hated" and "corrupt" companies in America, before being cut off by the meeting's chair, who warned against threatening violence. The episode reflects growing public and political hostility towards Flock's nationwide rollout of automated licence plate readers, amid mounting concerns over surveillance, data security and privacy.

Speaking afterwards to Fox News Digital, Carr sought to clarify his comments, insisting he was calling for "due process" rather than vigilante violence, while arguing that Americans have a right to go about daily life without being tracked by government cameras. Roughly 100 municipalities have reportedly cancelled or deactivated Flock contracts, and within days of Carr's remarks, Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy suspended all ten of the county's Flock cameras, citing "legitimate concerns" and proposing a public referendum on their reinstatement. Flock has defended the technology's crime-fighting record, including a case where its cameras helped locate an escaped child predator, but Carr maintains the risks—including potential hacking or misuse—outweigh the benefits.