Hundreds of residents urge Eugene leaders to cancel Flock camera contract; council schedules work session

About 69 people who signed up for public comment pressed the Eugene City Council on Sept. 8 to halt the city's use of Flock Safety's automatic license plate reader (ALPR) camera system and to cancel the police department's contract.

The speakers, representing residents, community advocates and faith leaders, said the cameras create a nationwide database that can be accessed by other agencies, risk misuse by federal immigration authorities, are vulnerable to errors and hacks, and may violate Oregon law and the city's sanctuary commitments. No formal council vote was taken; Councilor Yeh said a work session on the technology has been scheduled after she advanced a council poll, and the mayor said the issue will return to the council for further discussion.

The concerns focused on a few recurring points. Kaylee Bronson Cook, who identified herself as a local resident and immigration advocate, said the system's national database makes it ‘‘easy for outside agencies, including ICE, to get access’’ and cited reports of Flock data used in immigration enforcement. Naftali Renshaw warned that Flock's corporate ties and data practices could put immigrants and other…