Eugene residents press council to cancel Flock license-plate camera contract, citing privacy and ICE use

Dozens of residents urged the Eugene City Council on Nov. 10 to end the city’s contract with Flock, the vendor supplying license-plate-reading cameras, saying the technology threatens civil liberties and has been used by federal immigration authorities.

“The police want the responsibility of knowing where our entire community has been and where they are going,” Ty said during the public comment period, warning that the system can reveal “when we are home or away, what roads we travel, where we drop off our kids at school, who we associate with.”

Multiple speakers praised the council for pausing camera activation but said the pause is not enough. Scott Lambert, a University of Oregon graduate student, told council he “applaud[s] the council and the city manager for pausing the cameras” but said the cameras must be removed entirely, citing national reporting and ACLU analysis that, he said, links vendor databases to ICE searches.

Several speakers tied the surveillance system to broader community concerns about immigration enforcement. Magda Van Lewin said she feared the cameras could be used to “track women seeking abortions and specifically people who may not be here without documentation,” and urged removal to reduce the risk of harmful federal uses.

Supporters of terminating the contract also raised operational concerns. Sam Edwards and other commenters said cameras remain physically mounted on poles despite the pause; Jeff Salata and others described attempts to request records and asked why the city had denied certain public-record requests for Flock data. “If this argument held any weight, then why was my public record request for flock data on my own car denied?” Salata said.

City leaders heard repeated requests for prompt action. “Please cancel the Flock contract before you retire,” Dr. Jeffrey Gordon said, urging the city manager to move quickly. Public commenters urged the council to direct staff to complete any legally required steps but to prioritize removing the cameras and ending the vendor relationship.

What happened next: Council did not take a formal vote on the Flock contract during the Nov. 10 meeting. Several councilors acknowledged hearing the public’s concerns and asked staff for follow-up on options for using new state resources and policy tools to address related privacy and procurement questions.

The public record: Speakers repeatedly cited press reporting, ACLU analysis, and local examples to argue that the Flock system has been connected to ICE activity; the transcript records those claims as public comment, but the transcript does not include a staff presentation or an official staff finding validating those outside reports during the meeting.