Eugene’s Independent Police Auditor Craig Renetzky said his office received 412 complaints last year.
That was more than any other year in the office’s history, and a jump of more than 90 complaints from 2024, according to a new annual report.
Speaking at a Eugene City Council meeting Wednesday, Renetzky said current events and rising awareness of his office may have contributed to the increase.
“It's easy to say, ‘oh, the police are misbehaving more,''' he said. "I don't know that that necessarily correlates. That's very difficult to quantify at this point.”
Renetzky told City Council Wednesday that common community concerns included slow patrol responses, Flock cameras, and federal immigration enforcement.
He said in 2025, he did not see any cases where Eugene Police "were clearly crossing the line" in cooperating with ICE on immigration enforcement, which is against state law.
"Probably a good chunk of the complaints that we got related to the federal immigration was actions on behalf of federal law enforcement or federal authorities," said Renetzky, "and we have absolutely no control."
The report said Eugene Police used deadly force one time last year. In November, the department shot and injured a man they said was armed with a shotgun.
Meanwhile, the auditor recorded one fewer vehicle pursuit than in 2024, continuing the drop in use of the practice that started last year.
The complaints submitted to the police auditor resulted in one resignation and one termination of an employee.
According to Renetzky, multiple accounts of an incident are sometimes combined into a single complaint.
