Springfield chief promises transparency in rolling out license-plate readers

This story has been updated to include the number of cameras planned for Springfield.

It’s understandable that residents might have concerns about new license-plate readers to be installed around the city, Springfield Police Chief Jami Resch told a meeting of the Springfield Police Advisory Committee on Thursday, Aug. 7.

“It’s a new thing, and people want to make sure that we’re using it correctly,” Resch said. The committee is a citizens’ advisory group whose members are appointed by the mayor and city council.

No members of the public came to speak at the meeting, unlike last month in Eugene. More than 15 speakers denounced use of license-plate readers by Eugene police at a meeting of Eugene’s Police Commission, also a citizens’ advisory group.

So far, no license-plate readers have been installed by Springfield police. Resch said the city plans to install 25 cameras. The first Eugene police cameras were put up in May.

In addition to concerns about how the data collected by the readers will be used, citizens have been critical that police did not inform the public about plans for the cameras before moving forward with the technology.

Asked about that after the meeting, Resch said: “I am very respectful of people’s concerns, and what I’m trying to do is make sure that we provide enough transparency with this project now, so that we ease all of those concerns.”

Resch said during the meeting that the previous chief, Andrew Shearer, pursued a grant that is paying for the cameras. Lt. George Crolly with Springfield police said last month the cameras are being paid for with a $93,000 grant from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission to fight organized retail theft.

Resch has been with the Springfield Police Department since 2023, and was named chief earlier this year after Shearer left for a job as an assistant chief in Gresham.

Camera locations

Plans for Springfield include a “public-facing dashboard” with a question-and-answer section that attempts to address community concerns with the technology, Resch told committee members.

“There will be a map of where the cameras are that will also be on the site,” Resch said.

It would be a different approach than in Eugene, where police will not publicize the location of license plate cameras because of concerns about possible criminal mischief, a police spokesperson has said.

Resch told committee members the first Springfield police license-plate reader will be installed “pretty soon.”

After the meeting, Resch said that “we’ll announce to everybody that the first one’s been installed, and then the information will go up on our website.”

The license-plate readers will be placed along major roads, with the intent to cover all roads leading into and out of town, Resch said.

“They’re not intended to be in residential areas at all,” Resch said.

“We’re trying to be as transparent as possible,” Resch told committee members. “The intent of these is to capture back license plates.”

The camera systems, from Atlanta-based Flock Safety, also allow for data sharing, creating a network for law enforcement agencies to help each other track or find suspects in crimes.

Resch said that even with cameras not yet installed in Springfield, they’ve helped police.

“We’ve already had success in putting in license plates from crimes that we’ve had occur and catching them on cameras, some in Eugene, some out of state,” Resch said.

Resch told committee members how she envisions their use in Springfield, including “in the moment, for, like, stolen vehicles, missing persons, Amber Alerts.”

Probable cause ‘not required’

Presented as part of the meeting’s agenda was a Springfield Police Department policy dated July 23 that spells out how the technology — also known as ALPR, for automated license plate recognition — may only be used for “legitimate law enforcement purposes.”

The policy states that the technology “may be used in conjunction with any routine patrol operation or official department investigation.”

“Reasonable suspicion or probable cause is not required before using an ALPR,” the policy states.

A section of the policy titled “Purpose and Scope” describes the technology as being used for such purposes as gathering information related to active warrants and also “electronic surveillance, suspect interdiction and stolen property recovery.”

The sharing of data with other agencies has been among the concerns raised by citizens opposed to the cameras, including a citizens’ group known as Eyes Off Eugene that also opposed use of the technology in Springfield.

Resch said outside agencies will be required to “check a box” stating they will not use data for immigration enforcement. Oregon’s sanctuary laws restrict local and state police agencies from assisting with immigration enforcement.

“We will be conducting audits on our information, on who’s accessing it, and for why,” Resch said.

Eugene police have also said they will conduct audits on how the technology is being used. 

Eugene police also say they’ve opted to be part of a standing network where data is shared only with Oregon law enforcement agencies to better comply with the state’s sanctuary law. No such decision has been made by Springfield police, Resch said after the meeting.

“We’re still trying to figure that out,” she said.

“I don’t want to say we’re never going to share it with an outside agency. If somebody’s looking for a homicide suspect from Washington, I don’t want to limit that. So I want to make sure that we’re set up, that if somebody like that comes into the city of Springfield and we have that information, we can provide that information,” Resch said.

Resch told committee members, “in order to keep the cameras up and running, we’ll have to apply for more funding in the next round of the retail theft grant,” adding that Springfield police “basically leased them from Flock,” so the company is responsible for any needed repairs.

After the meeting, Resch said the deal struck with Flock Safety for the license-plate readers allows Springfield to assess “are they as helpful and successful as we hope and think they will be? And so that’s kind of another thought process behind not purchasing a bunch of equipment.”