Eugene is officially pausing its use of automatic license plate reader cameras.
The decision came less than a week after the city council unanimously asked city manager Sarah Medary to pause using the cameras until they could discuss privacy and civil rights concerns.
During Monday’s City Council meeting, Medary said she had complied.
“I would expect in the next 24 hours that those cameras have been disabled,” Medary said. “I know that will be too much for some, and too little for many and I look forward to hearing people’s comments on that. I am listening to you.”
The cameras, owned by private company Flock Safety, use AI to search based on plates or a vehicle’s appearance. That company also has a nationwide database, which local police have said they have excluded Eugene’s data from.
Police say the cameras have already helped them close 60 cases, including a burglary ring suspected of targeting Asian American households. Local opponents fear the data could end up in the hands of immigration enforcement or used by the Trump administration surveill activists or LGBTQ people.
Medary said she’s hoping to hold a meeting on the issue in November.
Springfield also has a contract with Flock, but says it won’t turn on its cameras until it has a chance to hold a community conversation about the technology.
