Days after a Sullivan County commissioner proposed the public hanging of Flock Safety’s chief executive, Knox County commissioners moved this week to calibrate their own response, advancing a resolution recommending the CEO instead be shunned at an upcoming Rotary luncheon.
At an August 13 work session in Blountville, Commissioner Joe Carr called the license-plate-camera company “one of the most corrupt companies in America” and told its representative, “I don’t think we can make America great again without hanging your CEO publicly for treason.” The chairman clarified that the commission would not be threatening violence to anybody, and the meeting proceeded to old business.
Knox County officials felt the moment called for restraint. “Hanging felt premature,” explained Commissioner Dale Hutchins, who introduced the local measure. “This is a first-offense corruption situation. You start with the Rotary. If that doesn’t take, there’s the Kiwanis. Nobody wants to see it get to the Sertoma Club.”
To prevent future freelancing, county procurement has adopted a five-tier Vendor Displeasure Matrix. Tier 1 is a letter of concern. Tier 2 is the delayed handshake. Tier 3 covers luncheon shunning, and Tier 4 removes the vendor from the county’s holiday card list. Tier 5, listed as “public hanging (Sullivan County standard),” is marked reserved.
“Before the matrix, every commissioner was out there freelancing their own outrage,” said procurement coordinator Brenda Loy. “Now there’s a rubric. If you want somebody hanged, you fill out the form like everyone else.”
The county’s Flock cameras, paused earlier this summer, remain installed pending review. Congressman Tim Burchett’s separate effort to strip the cameras’ federal funding has been classified by the matrix as a Tier 2.5.
The resolution passed 9-0. The cameras recorded each commissioner leaving the parking lot.