Why Watertown, Franklin and dozens more Tennessee communities want license plate readers
From Watertown to Franklin, more Middle Tennessee police departments of varying sizes are adding License Plate Reader camera technology.
Brentwood, the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, Murfreesboro and Waverly are the most recent among more than 40 law enforcement agencies adding more cameras.
Much of the statewide bump, though not all, is through Gov. Bill Lee’s Violent Crime Intervention Fund, which appropriated $100 million in grants to law enforcement agencies for initiatives that reduce violent crime.
Some agencies, like Trousdale County, are looking to add the license plate reader (LPR) technology through its own budget while others are considering the step.
“Safety for everyone,” is why Watertown Assistant Police Chief Michael Henderlight said he pursued funding for the cameras.
Some communities have had the technology for a while. Examples include Mt. Juliet with 52 cameras, Lebanon with 32, Hendersonville with 16 and Gallatin with about 15.
Nashville set up license plate readers last year as part of a six-month pilot program. The cameras have since been removed, but that isn’t expected to be permanent as the Metro Council has acted to expand the program.
What LPRs do and why not everyone wants them
License plate recognition cameras read vehicle license plates as they pass through an area where they are placed. The cameras can alert police to vehicles that have been stolen or possibly linked to other crimes, like Amber alerts or missing persons.
“It’s another tool for law enforcement… to recover stolen property, apprehend some wanted people, Amber alerts, missing children, missing persons,” said Trousdale County Sheriff Ray Russell.
The LPRs don't monitor speed, nor can they be used for other traffic enforcement, according to police and city officials.
But the technology still draws pushback over how intrusive police technology should be. Placement and the potential to target certain communities and demographics have also been debated.
In 2021, Mt. Juliet police stopped and handcuffed a person whose license plate was believed to have been mistakenly put into the LPR database as a stolen vehicle, according to reports.
“It’s a Catch 22,” said Jeff Tunks, who lives just outside Watertown but owns property in the city and regularly travels there. “How much of your freedom do you want to give up for a little more protection?”
Small communities jump in
Watertown is a city in eastern Wilson County with a little more than 1,500 residents. Some have likened the community to the fictional town of Mayberry from "The Andy Griffith Show."
But, even though it's small, it's still a regular tourist draw with events tied to the Tennessee Railway Museum’s Excursion Train, which makes regular trips between it and Nashville multiple times a year.
Watertown now has three LPR cameras, placed through $76,530 in funding.
The city also has a new portable trailer that has four cameras providing live video that can be used for live events like the Mile-Long Yard Sale held twice a year and a popular jazz festival.
An LPR camera on Watertown’s square pinpointed a vehicle police say was involved in store theft shortly after the cameras became operational in January, according to Henderlight.
“As a business owner, I think any level of security, as long as it doesn’t breach personal rights, is fine,” Vickie Frazier, owner of Watertown Artizan Insurance & Local Art on the square, said.
Trousdale County, a rural community, plans to add six cameras by summer, Russell said. Trousdale County has benefitted from alerts of criminal activity and missing persons from LPRs in Sumner and Wilson counties, which include a recent recovery of a stolen trailer, he said.
Cost has kept Woodbury in Cannon County from moving forward on LPRs so far, but Chief of Police Lowell Womack said he will consider pursuing potential grant money to add the cameras. Woodbury has about 2,800 residents.
“There are so many crimes that can be solved with that technology,” Womack said.
Brentwood and Franklin adding on
Brentwood has 16 cameras and will gain 10 more LPRs through the crime intervention fund, city spokesperson Charles Booth said.
“We found the LPR technology to be incredibly beneficial in solving crimes throughout the city, so we decided to take advantage of this grant to add more cameras in Brentwood,” Booth said.
And Franklin, now with about 90,000 residents, has 30 fixed cameras and four mobile cameras coming this spring or summer through the fund. Franklin has leased three mobile cameras on a contract that's about to expire, city spokesperson Milissa Reierson said.
“The technology has already proven successful as we have apprehended several criminals using information that came directly from License Plate Readers,” Franklin City Administrator Manager Eric Stuckey said.
Law enforcement agencies adding LPRs through the state’s Violent Crime Intervention Fund
Alamo Police Department
Ashland City Police Department
Bean Station Police Department
Bells Police Department
Brentwood Police Department
Bristol Police Department
Campbell County Sheriff's Office
Carroll County Sheriff's Office
Clarksville Police Department
Cleveland Police Department
Covington Police Department
Crockett County Sheriff's Office
Dyer County Sheriff's Office
Dyersburg Police Department
Franklin County Sheriff's Office
Franklin Police Department
Greenfield Police Department
Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
Hardeman County Sheriff's Office
Henry Police Department
Johnson City Police Department
Lake County Sheriff's Office
Lawrenceburg Police Department
Lewisburg Police Department
Martin Police Department
McMinn County Sheriff's Office
McMinnville Police Department
Millington Police Department
Monroe County Sheriff's Office
Murfreesboro Police Department
Newbern Police Department
Putnam County Sheriff's Office
Rhea County Sheriff's Office
Ridgely Police Department
Rutledge Police Department
Tiptonville Police Department
Toone Police Department
Tullahoma Police Department
Waverly Police Department
Waynesboro Police Department
Williamson County Sheriff's Office
Wilson County Sheriff's office.
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Watertown, Franklin show wide range of license plate reader users
