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Residents and technologists raise alarms about Flock ALPR cameras and data-sharing risks
Summary
Multiple public commenters and a technology professional told the council they were concerned that newly installed Flock license‑plate recognition cameras and other surveillance tools could be accessed or used by outside agencies, including ICE, and called for policy safeguards and police‑commission review.
EUGENE, Ore. — At the June 23 City Council meeting, several residents, community groups and a technology expert raised concerns about Flock license‑plate recognition (ALPR) cameras recently installed around Eugene and the potential for the data to be shared with outside agencies.
Why it matters: Commenters argued the systems create a persistent data trail that can be used for immigration enforcement and other purposes unrelated to local public safety. Several speakers urged the council to adopt policies limiting EPD’s use of drones and cameras, to investigate data‑sharing arrangements and to ensure oversight by the Eugene Police Commission.
What speakers said - Rob Sheldon, a software professional who identified himself as a subject-matter expert, urged the council to reconsider the contract with Flock and said the company’s software “is more advanced than anything that municipal law enforcement has ever had access to” and is “ripe for abuse.” He cited published reporting that Flock data has been used by ICE. - Jacob True and others asked the public to help map Flock camera locations and raised concerns that grant funding for camera hardware did not cover ongoing subscription fees; they said private access to license‑plate data creates a revenue model in which data can be sold or licensed. - Sarah Boom and other residents asked council to implement policy restrictions on drone and camera usage and to require that the police commission receive additional briefings. Councilor Yeh said the police commission had discussed the cameras and planned to review additional information; she suggested tracking police commission agendas for future discussion.
Council/staff response The city manager reiterated that specific policy and technical questions will come to appropriate oversight bodies; Councilor Yeh noted police‑commission review and encouraged residents to monitor that agenda or contact her for updates.
Next steps Residents and council members asked for more detail on Flock deployment locations, the city’s data‑retention and access policies, and whether existing agreements or grants create ongoing subscription costs. Several speakers asked for policy limits on drone surveillance and for safeguards to prevent use of city‑funded systems for immigration enforcement.
