Eugene police renegotiating data sharing contract with Flock Safety

New negotiations have begun over the sharing of data collected by license-plate reader cameras first installed on Eugene streets in May, according to Police Chief Chris Skinner.

“I’m in active negotiations with our vendor, Flock, to adjust the contract around data security and data sharing,” Skinner told members of the city’s Police Commission on Thursday, Sept. 11. He also spoke about possibly having some “civilian audit oversight” over how the technology is used in Eugene.

An Oct. 8 city council work session is scheduled to further discuss the technology, he said.

Citizens opposed to the cameras have dominated public comment at recent city meetings, with 36 speakers at a Eugene City Council meeting on Monday, Sept. 8. Some two dozen others signed up to speak that day, but the council enforced a 90-minute limit on public comment.

Most opponents of the cameras have cited concerns that the technology could be used to target vulnerable groups.

Eugene police have said that only law enforcement agencies in Oregon can access the network of data captured by the mounted cameras. Flock Safety maintains the network.

But many opposing the technology have expressed concerns about other law enforcement agencies, especially federal agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, getting access to the data. They have cited the aggressive immigration enforcement policies of President Donald Trump, as well as actions taken by his administration considered hostile to the transgender community.

Some also said that data kept and maintained by Flock Safety could potentially be vulnerable to security threats.

Skinner on Thursday did not share full details about his negotiations with Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company that is also working with Springfield on plans to install license-plate cameras.

But he said the purpose of re-opening negotiations is “to tighten up some vagueness in the contract language.” The process has involved “a lot of red lines our attorneys have been involved in,” referring to changes to the contract language.

The city provided the current contract with Flock Safety to Lookout Eugene-Springfield in response to a records request.

The two-year contract is for $342,000, all of which was to have been paid by this past June. Police have said a $391,000 state grant awarded in July 2024 to combat organized retail theft paid for the Flock cameras.

A memorandum of understanding governs issues of “Captured Data,” defined as “still images and associated information (e.g., metadata, geo-location of devices, time stamp, and vehicle description) captured by Flock’s devices.”

The memorandum of understanding does not specify limits on data sharing, though Flock Safety has said in public statements that individual police departments control which outside agencies can access their camera network data.

The memorandum of understanding states: “Customer further acknowledges that Flock retains the right to use the foregoing for any purpose in Flock’s sole discretion. Except as provided herein, Customer acknowledges that it neither owns nor acquires any rights, title or interest in Flock IP or Captured Data.”

Mounted cameras on Eugene streets record the license plates of passing vehicles, allowing police to more easily find and track vehicles sought in criminal investigations or when searching for missing persons.

Skinner previously has called the technology “really important” to police efforts in solving crime. Eugene police have said the technology helped them track and arrest a man wanted on suspicion of murder in Wisconsin and also a Eugene man suspected of raping a teenager.

Police frequently highlight use of the technology in Eugene. A news release Saturday, Sept. 13, stated the license-plate readers helped police find someone after family from outside of Oregon reported he wasn’t calling or texting as normal. The family member first called police in early August, then again on Sept. 9 to report that he had not accessed money sent via a payment app, police said.

After entering his license-plate number into the Flock system, police received an alert and on Saturday found the man, in his 30s, in the 2800 block of Roosevelt Boulevard. He told police he was safe and healthy but had lost his phone, according to the news release.

Civilian oversight possible

Skinner said he’s also having discussions with the city’s police auditor, an independent position outside of the Eugene Police Department, “to see about having a civilian audit oversight component to this.” 

“We are actively engaged with the auditor’s office about civilian oversight of this system, as well as an active audit process,” Skinner said.

After Skinner brought forward the discussions with Flock Safety and about adding civilian oversight, the commission voted to postpone making any recommendations to departmental policy governing use of license-plate readers. Skinner told commissioners the policy is likely to change given the discussions.

The city council’s license-plate reader work session will be “a really deep dive into the technology, the contract, the procurement process,” he said.

Police moved to add 57 Flock cameras to Eugene streets without seeking public comment or informing the Police Commission, a citizen advisory group making recommendations to police and the city council about policy and police resources.

The commission, with nine members attending, also voted to recommend the department’s immigration law policy, which has been in place since 2023.

The policy states that Eugene police do not participate in any immigration investigations or enforcement activities, although an officer, in accordance with the state’s sanctuary law, “may arrest any person who is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by a federal magistrate for a criminal violation of federal immigration laws.”

It also cites the state’s sanctuary law in limiting what information can be shared by police with federal immigration authorities.

“Because of the landscape that we find ourselves in here in 2025 we wanted to, I think the commission wanted to, take a look at this, read through it, see if there’s any recommendations you might have around adjustments to tighten up the language,” Skinner said at the meeting Thursday.

At Thursday’s online-only meeting, 16 speakers spoke against the cameras, but the final count likely would have been greater if not for the way the meeting was structured.

Commissioners originally planned to hold public comment at the beginning of their meeting, which meant the deadline for those wishing to speak was before the meeting’s start. But after some outcry, commissioners voted to have public comment later in their meeting.

“You should immediately turn off Flock cameras until you’ve had time to properly consider it,” said Jason Sydes. “Every second these cameras remain on endangers us all, including our immigrant neighbors.”