QuickTake:

The move comes after Friday announcements from Springfield and Eugene police that they were ending their relationships with the Atlanta-based company that provides license-plate reader camera systems.

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday, Dec. 10, it is suspending its contract with Atlanta-based Flock Safety to install 22 license-plate recognition cameras.

The move comes five days after Friday announcements from the Eugene and Springfield police departments that they were also cutting ties with Flock Safety, ending — for now, at least — use of a technology that elicited strong public opposition in recent months from citizens concerned about how the data might be used.

“We are still examining this type of technology and others in an effort to improve community and deputy safety,” Sheriff Carl Wilkerson said in a statement.

Unlike the Eugene and Springfield police departments, the sheriff’s office had yet not installed the technology, known as automated license-plate recognition, or ALPR.

The Wednesday announcement noted the recent cancellations in Eugene and Springfield: “For an ALPR system to be most effective in preventing crime and holding offenders accountable, coordination between local agencies is paramount,” the news release said. “Without other local networks to integrate with, LCSO is looking for ways to best utilize the resources that we have available to keep our residents safe.”

Invoice records provided to Lookout Eugene-Springfield showed Flock Safety charging the sheriff’s office $66,000 in year one of a two-year contract. Sgt. Tim Wallace, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, said Wednesday costs were slightly more for the second year of the contract, but he did not immediately have a full total.

The police chiefs in Eugene and Springfield have continued to praise the underlying technology, and Wilkerson also spoke about its use in fighting crime.

“ALPRs have proven their benefit to our residents with the capture of multiple murderers over the past year,” Wilkerson said.

While Wilkerson did not specify any criminal cases, Springfield police have said license-plate readers helped track a suspect in a deadly arson in July. Justin Carr was ultimately arrested in Washington state.

In Eugene, police in July said license-plate readers led to the arrest of a man wanted in connection with a murder in Wisconsin.

Each pole-mounted camera placed at intersections or along roadways captures vehicle information.

Alerts are sent to officers when a vehicle linked to a crime, for example, passes by one of the cameras. Police have also said the technology helps when searching for missing persons.

In October, Wilkerson said the cameras “would only be placed along state highways and major county roads.” Also in October, the sheriff’s office named the intersection of Highway 126 and Territorial Road in Veneta as a possible camera location, according to minutes from the Veneta City Council.

In Lane County, the Florence Police Department continues to use pole-mounted Flock Safety cameras, Chief John Pitcher said Wednesday.