Asheville’s decision to cancel its contract with Flock has not ended the debate over police surveillance.
This election season, the Asheville Police Department’s use of license plate readers and the Real-Time Intelligence Center have become controversial issues. Some residents want the city to abandon these systems or pause their expansion for further review. Others see them as useful tools for investigating crimes and protecting vulnerable communities.
A recently published “Ending Mass Surveillance Policy Pledge” from the Asheville Democratic Socialists of America illustrated the range of perspectives on the topic.
The pledge asks candidates to bring new technology decisions before the public and oppose the installation of future automated license plate readers. It also calls for the termination of existing contracts with Axon and draws a hard line on other equipment, including Fusus software, that could threaten people's civil liberties.
For Sierra Broadland, a member of the local DSA chapter, the technology is a “pervasive” issue. “We see headlines from across the country about the use of AI-driven police tools, resulting in wrongful arrests and abuses of civil liberty,” she told BPR.
Keith Young is the only city council candidate who signed the pledge. Mayoral candidate and current council member Kim Roney, a long-time critic of Axon and Flock technology, also signed on.
“I think it’s a very brilliant pledge,” Young told BPR in a phone interview. “It seems to be rooted in your basic Fourth Amendment rights.”
Young, a deputy clerk of Superior Court, previously served on council from 2015-2020. During his last term, one of his signature achievements was writing and championing Council’s 2020 decision to create a Community Reparations Commission for the city’s Black residents.
In his eyes, the surveillance technology used by the police, including the Real Time Intelligence Center, opens the door to warrantless searches. A searchable network of cameras, he said, can reveal the routines of people who aren’t suspected of a crime. He wants restrictions that protect residents against these warrantless searches.
A desire for more “safeguards” and “guardrails”
While Young was the only candidate to sign onto the pledge, he is not the only candidate to engage with the request. Drew Ball and Jeffrey Burroughs, both aspiring newcomers to city council, offered written statements on their concerns with the technology.
In his written response, Ball maintained that a blanket ban on contracts with companies such as Axon could also encompass police body cameras, which he considers an accountability tool. He would prefer to evaluate specific technologies on a case-by-case basis. Ball also discussed the issue at a Sept. 28 candidate forum.
“I think we need to ensure that these decisions are shaped by the community and they have safeguards and guardrails,” Ball said. “Because public safety and constitutional rights don't need to work against each other.”
In their written statement, Burroughs supported civil liberties and stronger oversight of surveillance technology, but stopped short of rejecting its use altogether.
“I’ve heard valid concerns about the potential misuse of surveillance technology based on evidence of misuse (abuse) in other communities,” Burroughs wrote. “I’ve also heard about valid ways these tools keep our public safe; when we need them, we’re grateful to have them.”
However, in social media posts, Burroughs has been more outspoken. In a May 14 Instagram post, Burroughs said they would have voted against the Real Time Intelligence Center that Council approved in a 6-1 vote. On Aug. 25, Burroughs posted again on the topic, signaling support for the cancellation of the city’s contract with Flock.
“It was very clear to me that so many in our city are concerned about surveillance technology. And I agree with you. There’s so many reasons that we can’t get to in the span of a social media post about the protection of our Fourth Amendment rights,” they said in the video. “And at a time when so many cities across the country are divesting in these kinds of systems, why are we investing in them? Especially when there’s so much pushback from our community.”
How have the incumbents voted?
The three incumbents seeking reelection — Maggie Ullman, Antanette Mosley and Sheneika Smith — did not respond to the DSA’s pledge. And they split when council voted 5–2 on Aug. 25 to terminate the city’s Flock contract.
Council member Maggie Ullman supported termination but cautioned against people oversimplifying the issue. She pointed to body cameras as an accountability measure.
“The public narrative is that ‘surveillance is terrible,’ that’s what I hear tonight,” Ullman said at the Aug. 25 meeting. “And I just think it's way more nuanced than that. I think our job is to get into the complexity of it as a policy maker.”
She added that she personally uses security cameras at her home.
“I have cameras at my house to keep me safe – after I had violence at my house – that helps me sleep at night,” she said. “We have had hit and runs. One of our public employees was hit by an F-150 and that person who committed a felony was able to be found, right?”
In contrast, Mosley and Smith voted against terminating the contract.
Mosley acknowledged concerns about privacy, data sharing and civil liberties. But as the Council liaison to the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville, she said she also had a responsibility to listen to residents seeking stronger safety measures, including those afraid to speak publicly because they feared retaliation.
“Civil liberties and public safety are not competing values,” she said. “Protecting people from government overreach and protecting people from violence are both responsibilities of government.”
Smith questioned what would replace the cameras and protect vulnerable residents in the meantime.
“What I would like to know is what happens next? Do you all care what happens next when it comes to safety? Because tonight I hear privacy over conviction, privacy over safety, privacy over justice,” Smith said.
In May, all three incumbents voted to accept $1.14 million in funding for the police department’s Real Time Intelligence Center. Council approved those measures 6–1, with Roney casting the only dissenting vote.
Of the six candidates running, three will make it on to city council.
