Earlier this year, local leaders in Eugene and Springfield rolled out license-plate reader cameras as cutting-edge tools to fight crime. But use of the technology didn’t sit right with many residents, who saw the systems as an invasion of privacy — and, if the data was shared with federal agencies, a possible tool for ICE to use against their neighbors.
Less than a year later, Eugene and Springfield have severed ties with Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based surveillance technology company that owns and operates the cameras. Police and officials say they remain optimistic about license-plate reader systems — but not Flock Safety. “I still believe it is technology we should consider,” outgoing Eugene City Manager Sarah Medary said at a meeting Dec. 8.
Lookout Eugene-Springfield compiled a timeline to help answer how local police went from touting the cameras’ abilities in press releases to acknowledging system “vulnerabilities and limitations.”…