Asheville's decision to cancel its contract with Flock has not settled the argument over police surveillance. As the election approaches, the police department's use of license plate readers and its Real-Time Intelligence Center remains a contested issue among residents and candidates.
Some residents want the city to drop these systems or pause their expansion for more review. Others say the tools help investigators solve crimes and protect vulnerable communities.
The range of views was on display in the "Ending Mass Surveillance Policy Pledge," recently published by the Asheville Democratic Socialists of America. It asks candidates to bring new technology decisions before the public and to oppose any future automated license plate readers. It also calls for ending existing contracts with Axon and takes a firm stance against other equipment, including Fusus software, that could threaten civil liberties.
Sierra Broadland, a member of the local DSA chapter, described the technology as 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.
Only one council candidate, Keith Young, signed the pledge. Kim Roney, a current council member running for mayor and a longtime critic of Axon and Flock technology, also signed. Young called it "a very brilliant pledge" that "seems to be rooted in your basic Fourth Amendment rights." A deputy clerk of Superior Court, Young served on council from 2015 to 2020 and wrote and championed the 2020 decision to create a Community Reparations Commission for the city's Black residents. He argues that tools such as the Real Time Intelligence Center open the door to warrantless searches, and that a searchable camera network can expose the routines of people not suspected of any crime.
Two newcomers, Drew Ball and Jeffrey Burroughs, responded with written statements. Ball said a blanket ban on contracts with companies like Axon could sweep in police body cameras, which he sees as an accountability tool, and he prefers judging technologies case by case. At a Sept. 28 forum he said decisions should be shaped by the community with "safeguards and guardrails," adding that public safety and constitutional rights "don't need to work against each other." Burroughs backed civil liberties and stronger oversight but stopped short of rejecting the technology outright. On social media, though, Burroughs has been more pointed, saying in a May 14 Instagram post they would have voted against the intelligence center, which Council approved 6-1, and signaling support on Aug. 25 for ending the Flock contract.
The three incumbents seeking reelection, Maggie Ullman, Antanette Mosley and Sheneika Smith, did not respond to the pledge. They split when Council voted 5-2 on Aug. 25 to terminate the Flock contract. Ullman voted to end it but warned against oversimplifying the matter, pointing to body cameras as an accountability measure. She said she uses cameras at her home after violence there, and noted that a felony hit-and-run involving a public employee was solved.
Mosley and Smith voted against termination. Mosley acknowledged concerns about privacy, data sharing and civil liberties, but said that as Council liaison to the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville she must also hear residents seeking stronger safety measures, including some afraid to speak publicly for fear of retaliation. "Civil liberties and public safety are not competing values," she said. Smith asked what would replace the cameras and protect vulnerable residents in the meantime.
In May, all three incumbents voted to accept $1.14 million in funding for the police department's Real Time Intelligence Center. Roney cast the lone dissenting vote. Six candidates are running, and three will win seats on the council.
