The Flock Files: Blount Tribune Releases County Flock Camera ALPR Audit Logs and Launches Public Search Tool

Transparency in local government isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a necessity. Today, The Blount Tribune is putting public data directly into the hands of the public.

We are officially releasing the complete automated license plate reader (ALPR) audit logs for Blount County, alongside a brand-new, searchable database tool right here on our website so you can check if your vehicle has been tracked.

The Long Road to Transparency: Our FOIA Process

Getting our hands on these records was no small feat. On May 2nd, we filed a formal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking the county’s Flock Safety ALPR audit logs.

Public records requests of this scale often face bureaucratic delays or resistance. It took about 2 months for us to get the logs with a lot of back and forth, however, we want to extend a sincere thank you to Mark Moon for choosing to release this transparent data to us, ensuring our community has access to the information it deserves.

What the Numbers Show: Key Statistics

We analyzed the 8,436 total search records contained within the Blount County Commission logs. Here is what the data reveals:

• Total Volume: 8,436 search queries logged across the system.
• Active Searchers: Just 25 distinct individuals account for the entire search history.
• Heavy Volume Concentration: One user alone, Michael Paul, executed 4,051 searches—accounting for nearly half of all queries in the database.
• Top Search Justifications: The vast majority of lookups (4,139 total mentions) were categorized under drug and narcotics investigations, followed by general investigations and stolen vehicle tracking.
• Missing Case Numbers: Perhaps most alarming, 96.15% of all searches (8,111 entries) show zero associated case numbers or incident files attached to justify why the license plates were queried.

Check Your Tag: How to Use Our New Tool

Because raw CSV spreadsheets can be intimidating or difficult to sift through, we’ve embedded a fully searchable table on The Blount Tribune.

1. Scroll up to our lookup tool on this page.
2. Use the live search bar to type in your license plate number.
3. Use the sorting features by clicking column headers to organize records by date, time, or search reason.
4. For our data nerds and investigators, a download link for the raw cleaned dataset is available at the bottom of the page.

Think You’ve Been Searched Without Cause? Reach Out.

Government surveillance tools are designed to assist law enforcement, not operate in an unregulated vacuum. With nearly all queries lacking tied case numbers, accountability falls on us as a community.

If you search your records and believe your vehicle was targeted or tracked without a legitimate law enforcement cause, reach out to us at The Blount Tribune. Let us know what you find, and our newsroom will help investigate further to ensure public trust and privacy are protected.

Here are the flock files