09/12/2026
An important message from our chairman: οΏΌI donβt want Flock cameras removed from North Atlanta. I believe public-safety information systems are critical to maintaining a safe, prosperous and free environment across the North Atlanta Crescent, from Gwinnett County through Cobb County.
Our law-enforcement officers face gangs, cartels, organized crime and local criminals. We should give them the best technology available to do their jobs effectively and productively while establishing strong safeguards to protect our privacy and liberty.
Georgia has taken important steps to regulate automatic license plate reader information and establish serious consequences for misuse. Auditing matters because officers need to understand that misuse can cost them their jobs and potentially result in criminal prosecution. The answer to misuse is not eliminating useful technology. It is detecting misuse, punishing it and continuously improving the safeguards.
The Florida case discussed earlier illustrates another important distinction. An innocent woman spent 13 days in jail, which is a serious failure deserving accountability. But the evidence indicates that the Flock camera correctly identified her vehicle and actually produced information supporting her innocence. The failure was in how people investigated and interpreted the evidence. We should hold responsible people accountable rather than inaccurately blaming the technology.
Social-media amplification makes this increasingly important. Legitimate concerns about technology can quickly become misinformation when people share dramatic claims without investigating the underlying facts. Repeating those claims throughout a neighborhood can create fear of technology that may actually be helping protect that neighborhood.
There is also an important principle in the Declaration of Independence that is too often overlooked.
We frequently quote Jeffersonβs words about our unalienable rights to βLife, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.β But the Declaration goes further. It says governments are instituted to secure those rights, and that people have the right to organize governmentβs powers in whatever form seems βmost likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.β
Safety and liberty are not opposing American principles. They belong together.
Without reasonable safety, we cannot fully enjoy our lives, liberty or pursuit of happiness. That means protecting our communities against gangs, cartels, organized crime and local criminals while simultaneously protecting citizens against improper government surveillance and misuse of information.
Technology also matters to the economics of government. As our counties grow, law enforcement must become more productive. If productivity does not increase, providing the same or better public safety will require more people and more money, eventually creating pressure for higher taxes.
I donβt want that.
I want safer communities, more productive law enforcement and lower pressure on taxpayers. Public-safety information systems can help us accomplish those objectives.
If Georgia law is insufficient, improve the law. If county ordinances are insufficient, strengthen them. If there is a gap between state law, county ordinances and law-enforcement department policies, fill that gap with reasonable regulations.
Give law enforcement one of the most productive tools it has ever had to help keep us safe, but establish clear rules governing how the information may be collected, accessed, retained and used. Audit the system. Protect the information. Punish intentional misuse. Correct mistakes when they occur.
We can have safety and liberty at the same time.
That is not a contradiction. It is precisely what responsible government should accomplish: secure our rights while organizing its powers in the manner most likely to protect our Safety and Happiness.
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