Residents urge Eugene council to cancel Flock camera contract, remove hardware

Dozens of Eugene residents urged the City Council on Oct. 27 to terminate the city's contract with Flock Safety and remove fixed automated license-plate reader (ALPR) cameras from public streets.

Public commenters told the council the system compromises privacy and can be used beyond the stated public-safety purposes. "They record everyone who drives by," said Leonard DeFranco, a Ward 5 resident, adding that ALPR systems "record parents dropping off kids, workers heading to their jobs, immigrants, activists like myself, and neighbors simply living their lives." Jane Lewis, a Ward 3 resident who described herself as experienced in data-privacy work, urged the council to cancel the contract and remove the cameras, saying Flock stores plate images on central servers and "we are enabling a surveillance system that tracks the movements of everyone."

Speakers cited examples from other jurisdictions. Elia Bancic and others pointed to reports that Flock data in other cities has been accessed by federal agencies and that vendors have reinstalled cameras without municipal authorization. Several speakers also noted that the American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit against the city over records access related to the cameras.

Commenters framed alternatives to mass surveillance as options that improve safety without broad data collection. Cameron Stringfield, representing the Party for Socialism and Liberation locally, urged the council to cancel Flock and "fund Willamette Valley Scribe Care and rebuild community trust," while others asked the council to restore Cahoots-style alternative response teams.

Councilors acknowledged the public pressure; multiple speakers thanked the council for recent steps to pause camera use. No binding vote to terminate the contract occurred at the meeting. Several commenters asked the council to ensure the hardware is physically removed and to place the contract termination on a future agenda item for formal action.

City staff and the council have not yet announced a timetable to remove cameras or to present a formal termination plan; public speakers requested that the council pursue removal promptly and to communicate a timeline to the community.