Albany council hears Oregon Law Center warning on license-plate data; motion to reinstate Flock cameras fails

A coalition of councilors, public-safety staff and outside experts debated the use of automated license-plate readers (ALPRs) in Albany after the Oregon Law Center reported that Albany-associated data had been included in searches tied to federal immigration enforcement and other out-of-state queries.

Heather Merrick of the Oregon Law Center told the council her group's records review showed Albany's Flock network was included in a nationwide set of searches and that, in a sampled month, "federal immigration officials directly accessed data that included Albany's networks 197 times," with 358 searches conducted on behalf of immigration officials in that sample. Merrick said some jurisdictions were surprised to learn how broadly vendor data was being queried and urged local policy controls to prevent misuse.

Chief Harnden and the city's CTO, Shaun Park, described steps the department had already taken in response to those concerns: pulling back from a national lookup program, restricting sharing outside Oregon after the state enacted Senate Bill 1516, maintaining a 30-day retention policy, and requiring two-factor authentication for system access. Harnden said audit logs and case references allow the department to follow up and determine whether a particular inquiry supported criminal investigation needs, citing examples in which entries initially labeled as "ICE" were confirmed to be local task-force or non-immigration investigations.

Flock Safety's public affairs manager, Lily Ho, explained vendor practices in a council Q&A. She said customers retain ownership of their camera data, that Flock implements NIST and SOC 2–level controls, and that a limited set of Flock employees can access data for narrowly defined technical purposes or at a customer's request. She also confirmed the company uses derived-data features—vehicle "signatures"—as part of search tools and that the system may be used to improve model accuracy.

Councilors engaged in sustained questioning about the limits of vendor access, whether federal agencies had used out-of-state credentials to access data, and how the city could ensure the technology's use matched Albany values. Councilor Newton pressed for clarity about whether outside agencies had provided federal officers with login credentials; Merrick said national reporting suggested that had occurred and offered to follow up with sources. Chief Harnden said the department had proactively provided additional logs to the Oregon Law Center and that the city had removed national lookup access in December to limit exposure.

After extended discussion about placement, retention and community input, a councilor moved to resume the city's Flock contract, replace a stolen camera, activate additional purchased cameras, and require monthly police reports and community engagement. The council took a roll-call vote: Councilor Smith and Councilor McGee voted yes; Councilor McCloud, Councilor Newton, Councilor Thompson and Councilor Van Tiemelen voted no. The motion failed.

Why it matters: The exchange highlighted tensions that have emerged nationwide over ALPRs—tools police say help investigate crime but which privacy advocates warn can enable surveillance and cross-jurisdictional access. Albany's discussion focused on local controls, contract terms, auditability and public trust.

What’s next: Council members asked staff for more public engagement and clearer placement and use policies before authorizing ALPR operations; Chief Harnden pledged monthly briefings and staff will coordinate community conversations and bring refined policy recommendations back to council.