Cops and flocks: Controversy of license plate cameras

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MICHAEL DUNNE: I’m Michael Dunne. It may be the conundrum of our age, balancing convenience and efficacy of technology with our very privacy and freedom for every convenient internet search we make, there’s the flip side of the coin, where big companies in the government may be searching us, and behind every wonderful app on our smartphones lurks the potential to upend our very sense of independence. This challenge is very present in our community in the form of digital license plate readers or flock cameras already in use in Eugene and pending use in Springfield, these crime fighting eyes in the sky can certainly help law enforcement do more with fewer officers, but at what cost to our privacy? We talk about it today with our own reporter who’s been following this story since July, and a local advocacy group who sees the cameras as a horrible invasion of privacy. Flock cameras can provide local police with a wealth of information and evidence to catch moving violations and other crimes, all without the need for a human cop on the street, but at what cost to our personal freedom? We start this conversation with our own Rebecca Hansen-White. Note: we did reach out to the Springfield Police Department for comment, but didn’t hear back, and in Rebecca’s reporting, you will hear from Eugene police chief Chris Skinner. Rebecca Hansen-White Our reporter here at KLCC. Thanks so much for coming in and talking to us.

REBECCA HANSEN-WHITE: Thank you…

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