QuickTake:

Early in 2025, the Eugene and Springfield police departments inked agreements with Flock Safety, a company that makes license-plate reader cameras. Now, 11 months later, both cities and the county have ended their contracts with the company. Here is a history of what we know about how it all happened.

Earlier this year, local leaders in Eugene and Springfield rolled out license-plate reader cameras as cutting-edge tools to fight crime. But use of the technology didn’t sit right with many residents, who saw the systems as an invasion of privacy — and, if the data was shared with federal agencies, a possible tool for ICE to use against their neighbors. 

Less than a year later, Eugene and Springfield have severed ties with Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based surveillance technology company that owns and operates the cameras. Police and officials say they remain optimistic about license-plate reader systems — but not Flock Safety. “I still believe it is technology we should consider,” outgoing Eugene City Manager Sarah Medary said at a meeting Dec. 8.

Lookout Eugene-Springfield compiled a timeline to help answer how local police went from touting the cameras’ abilities in press releases to acknowledging system “vulnerabilities and limitations.”

  • Jan. 6: The Springfield Police Department asks the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission if it can reallocate some grant money the department had proposed using for radios, cell phones and other equipment to instead fund a license-plate reader camera contract.
  • March 24: Eugene City Manager Sarah Medary signs a contract for 57 Flock license-plate reader cameras using a $391,264 grant awarded in 2024 by the Criminal Justice Commission’s Organized Retail Theft grant program.
  • May 6: The Eugene Police Department begins installing Flock license-plate reader cameras, starting with 27 cameras.
    • At the time, the department does not release a map of camera locations or publish a press release to announce the news.
    • These cameras began collecting data immediately and “nationwide lookup” functionality was enabled, according to Eugene police spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin.
  • May 16: The Register-Guard publishes an article about Eugene’s contract with Flock Safety. It is the first time most members of the public learn about the news.
  • May 16-17 and June 2-3: The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducts nationwide lookup searches that included Eugene’s cameras, according to a police department audit of the operation timeline months later.
    • The searches are reportedly related to investigations into mail fraud, postal robbery and narcotics, McLaughlin said. Spokespeople for the two federal agencies declined to comment.
    • “It appears these agencies were conducting broad, nationwide searches across a network of over 80,000 cameras, which included EPD’s,” McLaughlin said. “While we cannot confirm whether EPD-specific data was accessed, we can confirm that our cameras were included in the scope of those searches.”
  • May 21: Eugene Police Department “finalizes” its policy for the system, according to McLaughlin.
    • The city’s advisory Police Commission had not yet reviewed the policy.
  • June 12: License-plate reader cameras are mentioned at a Police Commission meeting for the first time, when a citizen voices concern about learning of Eugene police’s use of the cameras through the news media instead of the department. 
  • Mid-June: Eugene police conduct license-plate-reader system training for “designated staff,” McLaughlin said, adding that the system is made accessible to all authorized Eugene police users shortly after.
  • July 1: Eugene police opts out of nationwide lookup and restricts access to only Oregon law enforcement agencies, according to McLaughlin. No federal agencies have accessed or searched Eugene data since, she added.
  • July 10: Eugene residents denounce the cameras’ installation at a Police Commission meeting. 
  • July 12: Eyes Off Eugene, a group of local advocates opposed to the technology, launch an online petition to cancel the city’s contract with Flock Safety.
  • July 22: Springfield police say they plan to install 25 Flock Safety license-plate reader cameras in the coming months.
  • July 28: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden says Flock Safety has committed to filter out requests from Oregon law enforcement agencies for data related to immigration and abortion.
  • Late July/early August: Eugene police conducts “random audits” on internal and network searches, according to McLaughlin.
  • Aug. 7: Springfield police chief promises transparency in rolling out license-plate readers.
  • Sept. 2: A dozen community members testify at a Springfield City Council meeting against the city’s use of the cameras.
  • Sept. 8: Eugene police issue a statement citing 64 times when the system proved “instrumental” in police investigations, leading to 43 arrests over four months.
  • Sept. 8: Nearly 40 residents speak out against the cameras during public comment at a Eugene City Council meeting.
  • Sept. 22: More advocates opposed to license-plate reader technology turn out to testify at a Eugene City Council meeting; councilors extend public comment to allow everyone to speak.
  • Sept. 26: Springfield police announce they have started installing Flock Safety cameras but will not turn them on until a community discussion happens; they release a map of camera locations.
  • Oct. 8: Eugene City Council recommends that the city manager turn off the cameras.
  • Oct. 10: Eugene police arrests seven in suspected burglary ring targeting Asian households and cite the city’s ALPR system as aiding the investigation.
  • Oct. 13: Eugene City Manager Sarah Medary says the city’s license-plate reader cameras will turn off within 24 hours.
  • Oct. 15: Police investigate vandalism to Flock cameras in Eugene and Springfield.
  • Oct. 16: Wyden says elected officials can best protect their constituents from the “inevitable” abuses of Flock cameras by removing them.
  • Oct. 20: Springfield city councilors ask city staff to design a policy that limits the scope of the use of the Flock cameras. 
  • Oct. 20: The ACLU of Oregon files a lawsuit on behalf of a resident asking the city of Eugene to release the locations of local Flock cameras.
  • November: Eugene police conduct audit of “entire ALPR operation timeline,” according to McLaughlin, finding the May 16-17 and June 2-3 searches by federal agencies.
  • Nov. 7: Eugene police release a map of license-plate reader locations.
  • Nov. 7: Springfield police chief says she hopes to come to an agreement with the community over the cameras.
  • Nov. 11: Springfield police report a “brief activation” of a license-plate reader camera despite the pledge to keep them off.
  • Nov. 26: Eugene police release analysis finding that EPD recovered stolen vehicles 30% faster while using the ALPR system, compared to recoveries in 2024 and 2023. Police concluded the system may have a deterrent effect: “The downward trend was sharper than would have been anticipated by the data,” the department said.
  • Dec. 5:
    • 7:20 p.m: Eugene police release a statement announcing the department has ended its contract with Flock Safety. Data shows the cameras continued capturing vehicle license plates up until about 5:20 p.m., before taking a four-day pause.
    • 8:18 p.m: Springfield police release a statement announcing the department has ended its contract with Flock Safety, and all cameras will be covered until they can be removed. 
  • Dec. 8: The Eugene city manager says the city has asked Flock to remove all cameras and delete any of the city’s data by Dec. 12. 
  • Dec. 9: Eugene’s police chief holds a press conference, saying Flock activated a camera during the citywide pause, leading him to end the contract. Eugene police data shows two detections on Dec. 9 and one on Dec. 10 for investigations related to property crimes.
  • Dec. 10: The Lane County Sheriff’s Office announces it is ending its contract with Flock Safety.
  • Dec. 15: Springfield Deputy Chief of Police George Crolly tells Lookout Eugene-Springfield that all Flock cameras in Springfield have been covered.
    • “SPD is working with Flock on the contract termination and formal notice has been sent,” Crolly wrote in an email. “A deadline has not been discussed. We are in communication with Flock about camera removal and do not yet have a date. Various options, including the topic of a refund are being discussed.”

This story is developing and will be updated.

Lookout Eugene-Springfield correspondent Michael Zhang contributed reporting.

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Grace Chinowsky graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in journalism. She served as metro editor, senior news editor and editor in chief of the university’s independent student newspaper, The GW Hatchet, and interned at CNN and MSNBC. Grace covers Eugene’s city government and the University of Oregon.