NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — This week, one victims’ rights group hopes to rekindle the push for license plate readers in Nashville, urging city leadership to implement the technology.

On Tuesday, at the Metro Public Health and Safety Committee meeting, Councilmember Jordan Huffman asked Verna Wyatt, co-founder of Tennessee Voices for Victims, what the Metro Council could do to further support crime victims.

Wyatt quickly responded, applauding the implementation of FUSUS but adding that she felt LPRs are desperately needed.

“Even something that we would consider the simplest crime, like burglary, you never walk into your house again the same way. You never have that piece of mind,” Wyatt told News 2 on Wednesday. “For victims, they want their perpetrator caught, and they want them caught right away.”

Wyatt also pointed to surrounding police departments that already use the technology.

“I urge the council to go on Mt. Juliet Police's Facebook page and 'like' them, because I get notifications, postings that they make, every week about a crime that they've solved from that LPR, and many of the criminals were Nashville criminals," Wyatt said. "They were wanted in Nashville for something. Mt. Juliet picks them up because they have the technology."

So why doesn’t Nashville have LPRs?

After years of back-and-forth, Mayor Freddie O’Connell said he’s waiting on the Metro Council before moving forward.

"We have a policy framework we're ready to run," O'Connell said in April. "I think what you've seen upstairs in the Metro Council is they can't even get to consideration of a resolution asking us to bring LPR policy there."

LPRs were not mentioned, at least by name, in O'Connell's 2025 Metro budget.

“You're not going to see a line item in there for it, but I think the capacity is there,” he told News 2 after introducing the budget.

Yet, some council members insist that the ball is in his court.

“The council, last term, at the end of the term that ended in 2023, we passed the resolution allowing the full implementation of the LPR program,” District 26 Councilmember Courtney Johnston said. “So it's really frustrating for the mayor to try to pawn this off on the council when the council has done everything that we were supposed to do.”

Wyatt has grown more frustrated the longer the conversation drags on.

“I mean it's available, our Chief of Police is trustworthy, and he knows that this technology could really could help them solve crimes faster. And Mt. Juliet is proving it every day for us every single week,” Wyatt said.

News 2 reached out to the mayor’s office for a comment on LPRs pertaining to crime victims.

His office did not address that specifically, but did provide the following statement:   

Just a few months ago, Metro Council wasn't even able to pass a resolution through committee that demonstrated support for LPRs. Given the political climate within the body and publicly expressed concerns over erosion of the rule of law, we're reviewing what next steps should be as we get to work on a broader community safety planning process.

Metro Nashville Mayor's Office

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/tennessee-voices-for-victims-advocating-for-license-plate-readers-in-nashville/