Why I Voted to Continue Cookeville’s Flock Contract

Sharing Perspectives from across the Highlands


I want to start by making something very clear. What I am sharing here is my perspective and my perspective alone. It does not represent the opinions or positions of the other members of the Cookeville City Council.

As one of the newest members of the council, I was thrown pretty quickly into a very important and, at times, difficult conversation about Flock. I knew people in our community felt strongly on both sides, and I wanted to take the time to explain how I came to my decision and why I ultimately voted the way I did.

I think my story with Flock really started when I attended the Cookeville Police Department Citizens Academy.

I have always supported law enforcement, but that experience gave me an even greater appreciation for what our officers do every day and the sacrifices they make to keep our community safe.

When I was running for City Council, supporting our police department was one of my priorities. I believe we should give our officers the tools they need to do their jobs, while also making sure those tools are being used responsibly.

After I was elected, I started hearing from people I know about Flock. Some were just sharing information with me. Some told me they did not support it. Others told me why they believed it was an important tool for keeping our community safe.

Then we had our City Council orientation, and I had the opportunity to ask Chief Winfree some much more detailed questions about how Flock is being used here in Cookeville.

The entire council asked questions about safeguards, policies, who has access to the system and how we protect the technology from being abused. I felt like Chief Winfree was open and transparent with us, and I felt like the policies and safeguards currently in place were there to protect our community while still allowing our officers to use the system as an investigative tool.

But I didn't want to stop there.

As the vote got closer, I continued to listen and research because I knew this was something people cared deeply about.

Then, the day before the vote, my phone and inbox got busier than normal.

I heard from a lot of people who were opposed to continuing Flock. They emailed me, called me, texted me and talked to me in person. They shared very sincere concerns with me.

I also heard from a lot of people who supported continuing Flock. They reached out in many of those same ways and shared why they believed it was an important tool for our community and for law enforcement.

I heard people on both sides, and I took what they said seriously.

These weren't just arguments on the internet. These were people in our community who care about Cookeville and wanted their voices heard.

Then, when I walked into the council meeting and saw approximately 30 to 40 people there to speak about this issue, I was honestly a little nervous.

But I was also encouraged.

People cared enough to show up. They spoke. They asked questions. They made their voices heard.

I appreciated that. I hope people continue to participate in their local government, even when we don't agree.

As I listened that night, many of the things I had already researched came up again.

One question in particular kept coming up:

Is Flock unconstitutional?

I had specifically researched that question before the meeting, and I also asked our city attorney directly because I wanted to make sure I understood the law correctly.

What I found was that there are legitimate Fourth Amendment questions when it comes to increasingly sophisticated surveillance technology, and courts continue to look at where those constitutional lines are.

But I could not find legal precedent establishing that the Flock system currently being used by Cookeville, as it is currently configured and used, is unconstitutional.

That distinction was important to me.

I also believe we have to be willing to revisit these issues. If the law changes, if a court makes a different determination, or if our policies need to change, then we should be willing to have that conversation again.

Voting to continue a contract does not mean we stop asking questions.

I also understand the concern about liberty.

For me, I don't believe this has to be a choice between liberty and safety.

I believe we should be working toward safety while protecting liberty.

The question I was asking myself wasn't, “Am I willing to give up my liberty to feel safer?”

It was:

Can we use this tool to help keep people safe while also having safeguards in place to protect the rights and privacy of our citizens?

After doing my research, talking with our police department and city attorney, and hearing from people on both sides, I believed the answer was yes.

That doesn't mean I think every use of surveillance technology is appropriate.

It doesn't mean I believe the government should have unlimited access to information about its citizens.

And it certainly doesn't mean I think we should stop paying attention to how these tools are used.

I think we should keep asking questions.

There is another very personal part of this decision for me.

I run a nonprofit that exists to protect vulnerable women and children from human trafficking.

For years, I have seen firsthand how important it is to find vulnerable people quickly and to give law enforcement every responsible tool available to help protect them.

So when I think about a system that could potentially help locate a missing child, identify a vehicle connected to a crime or help investigators find someone who is in danger, I don't just think about a camera on a pole.

I think about the child.

I think about the family waiting for answers.

And I think about the possibility that a tool could help bring someone home.

That is a big part of my heart behind this decision.

At the same time, I know tools can be misused. That's why safeguards matter. Policies matter. Oversight matters. Transparency matters.

And if those things ever fail, I believe we have a responsibility to address it.

This was not a vote I took lightly.

I think sometimes people see a vote and only see the few seconds it takes to say yes or no.

For me, there was a lot more behind that moment. And I guess that's why I wanted to write this. I wanted people to know the thought process behind my vote, not just the vote itself.

I am doing life with the people in this community. I am going to church with people who wished I had voted differently. And yes, I even live in the same house with people who see this issue differently than I do.

I don't get to vote one way and then walk away from the people who disagree with me.

And I don't want to.

I want to be able to disagree with someone on an issue and still sit down and have coffee with them, hear their concerns and continue to have a relationship with them. A difference of opinion on City Council shouldn't change how I treat someone or how much I value them.

These aren't nameless people on the other side of a political aisle. They are people I know. They are my neighbors, my friends, my homeschool community and people we go to church with.

So I want people to know that I did not take this vote lightly.

I prayed. I researched. I asked questions. I wrestled with the concerns that were brought to me. And ultimately, I had to make the decision I believed was right based on the information I had.

My vote was not a vote to stop questioning Flock.

It was a vote based on what I knew, what I had researched, what I had been told by the professionals responsible for the system, and what I believed was the right decision for Cookeville at this time.

I know not everyone will agree with me.

And that's okay.

One of the things I have learned very quickly in serving on City Council is that sometimes there isn't a decision where everyone walks away happy.

But I can promise you this:

I will take every vote seriously. I will do my homework, ask the hard questions and make the decision I believe is right for Cookeville.

I am grateful to live in a community where people care enough to speak up.

Please keep doing that. Keep emailing. Keep calling. Come to the meetings. Ask questions. And please disagree respectfully when you disagree.

You elected me to represent you, and I take that responsibility seriously.