Photo: Nathan Wilk
Follow KLCC for our continuing coverage of Flock Safety Cameras in Eugene and Springfield. Questions on this topic? Please email us at KLCC@klcc.org.
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Courtesy of the City of FlorenceFlorence City Council will consider later this month whether to continue using automatic license plate cameras from private company Flock Safety. -
Courtesy of Flock SafetyThe city of Florence will hold a townhall style meeting Monday about whether to continue using private company Flock’s automatic license plate reader cameras.
Oregon On The Record host Michael Dunne dicusses the Flock Safety cameras, the new digital license plate cameras in Eugene and Springfield that police use for law enforcement, but also are alleged to be spying on motorists. We speak with KLCC's Rebecca Hansen-White who has reported extensively on this issue and Ky Fireside from Eyes Off Eugene, an organization opposed to the cameras.
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Nathan Wilk, KLCC
The City of Eugene said Friday that it’s physically removed most of its AI-powered Flock license plate cameras.
Rebecca Hansen-White
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KLCC
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Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner confirmed Tuesday that a Flock camera was turned on after the city ordered them to be shut down in October. -
Some Flock cameras in Eugene may have been online several weeks after the city ordered them to be turned off. -
Both cities made the announcement in press releases issued Friday evening.
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Community members in Eugene and Springfield have raised concerns for months about privacy, and potential federal abuse of the data Flock Safety automatic license plate reader cameras collect. -
Oregon lawmakers had a chance to hear from Eugene-area activists and law enforcement about automatic license plate reader technology Monday. The cameras, and the company Flock Safety's presence in Eugene, were the topic of an Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. -
Lane County is the latest local government to sign a contract with AI-license plate reader company Flock Safety.
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In a letter Thursday, Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, said he supported communities that are reviewing their police departments contract with the company.
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The decision came less than a week after the city council unanimously asked city manager Sarah Medary to pause using the cameras, owned by private company Flock Safety, until they could discuss privacy and civil rights concerns. -
City Council members said recent efforts to deploy National Guard troops in Portland, and aggressive federal immigration enforcement tactics made them nervous about continuing to use a new surveillance technology.
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Springfield Police have finished installing 24 AI-powered license plate readers, but the department says it won’t turn them on until the city has a community conversation about the technology.
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