Resident urges Klamath Falls to remove Flock license-plate cameras, citing privacy concerns
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Summary
At the Feb. 2 Klamath Falls City Council meeting, public commenter Anne Ren Shockey asked the city to identify and remove five Flock Systems cameras she said operate as automated license-plate readers and raised constitutional and stalking-risk concerns; she cited a recent Eugene ruling finding Flock footage to be public record.
Anne Ren Shockey told the Klamath Falls City Council on Feb. 2 that five Flock-branded cameras in the city, including two on South 6th Street, function as automated license-plate readers and raise constitutional and safety concerns.
"They're doing a lot of training on that across the board," Shockey said, adding the devices tie into Flock Systems and an AI search capability she described as a large-language-model search engine. She said the cameras allow searches such as "woman wearing a pink Carhartt jacket" and that the technology is often used to track protesters or individuals without a judicial warrant.
Shockey told the council the cameras amount to "extra-constitutional surveillance," and that a recent judicial ruling in Eugene has treated footage captured by Flock cameras as public record, which she said raises risks if that access is used by stalkers or others. "I want these gone and I wanna find out who's put them up," she said.
The commenter said county government told her it was not responsible for the cameras and asked the council to determine whether the city or the police department authorized their installation. The council did not take action on the matter during the meeting; it heard the comment during the public-comment portion and moved on to agenda business.
Why it matters: Automated license-plate readers and networked camera systems have been controversial in other Oregon communities over privacy, public-record status, and law-enforcement access. Shockey’s remarks signal local concern and request that city staff investigate ownership, access policies and whether any local agreements authorize continued operation.
Next steps: The city did not announce an immediate investigation or formal staff assignment during the meeting. Shockey said she expected the council or staff to follow up if additional information was needed.
