'This is really the wild west': Flock replaces 16 camera poles as questions continue about roadside safety, installation standards
WKRN reports that Flock Safety replaced 16 camera poles in Tennessee after roadside safety advocate Steve Eimers documented installations he judged to be sited dangerously, including poles set too close to guardrails where they would worsen a crash rather than yield. Eimers, whose 17-year-old daughter Hannah died in a guardrail crash a decade ago, has audited roadside hardware since. His assessment of what he found: "this is really the wild west." The Tennessee Department of Transportation said it was gathering information on permit requirements, on identifying improperly permitted installations, and on crashworthiness standards for the poles.
From the reporting
- Flock chief executive Garrett Langley said publicly on 23 July 2026 that the company had "kicked off a nationwide safety audit for all our poles, starting with Tennessee, where we fixed 16 separate installations", and credited Eimers directly.
- The objection is to the hardware and its siting, not to what the cameras record. A pole in the clear zone is a hazard to a driver who has never heard of Flock.
- TDOT's stated interest in identifying improperly permitted installations matters because an unpermitted pole in a public right-of-way can be ordered out on infrastructure grounds alone, with no privacy argument required.
- Flock did not respond to WKRN's requests for an interview or statement before publication; the chief executive's announcement came separately.
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