Lane County Sheriff has contract with Flock for license-plate recognition cameras

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office plans to mount Flock Safety license-plate recognition cameras on some major roads running through rural parts of the county, Sheriff Carl Wilkerson said Friday, Oct. 17.

“Our small number of cameras, purchased using seized drug funds, would only be placed along state highways and major county roads,” Wilkerson said in a lengthy message to Lookout Eugene-Springfield that acknowledged privacy concerns leading to a pause on the use of the cameras in Eugene and Springfield.

Invoice records show the sheriff’s office ordered 22 cameras from Flock Safety in August at a cost of $66,000, according to a document released Thursday in response to a records request. Sgt. Tim Wallace said Friday no cameras are now installed, and there is no timetable for installation.

Wilkerson described plans for the cameras but also said the sheriff’s office has not yet made a permanent commitment to their use.

“(The sheriff’s office) has entered into a contract with Flock Safety to explore this option, but it does not mean that we will go ‘all in’ with it. We plan to access the program and then determine if it is worth the dollars invested and if the system meets the expectations of not only (the sheriff’s office), but of our community,” Wilkerson said.

In Eugene, police have spoken about how the technology installed in the city beginning in May helped capture suspects wanted in violent crimes and also helped find stolen vehicles and missing persons.

But dozens of citizens have spoken at City Council meetings in Eugene to oppose use of the technology, citing concerns about how vulnerable groups could be targeted.

Despite police in Eugene stating they would not allow federal agencies to access data collected by the cameras, several speakers have expressed concern about the administration of President Donald Trump and the data collected by the cameras being used for immigration enforcement.

A local citizens’ effort called Eyes Off Eugene has rallied against the technology, while statewide the ACLU of Oregon and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden have also spoken out against Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based company providing the cameras to Eugene, Springfield and Lane County.

Wilkerson, in his message to Lookout, shared some details of a draft policy for how data collected by the cameras would be shared with other law enforcement agencies.

The policy “only allows the Sheriff’s Office’s data to be routinely shared with Law Enforcement Agencies within the States of California and Washington, as they have very similar laws concerning immigration enforcement to the State of Oregon,” Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson added that “we do not authorize our data to be routinely shared with the Federal Government and do not authorize our staff to use the data on behalf of another agency requester,” though he said a “deviation from these rules” is possible with permission from a supervisor or higher authority.

In Lane County, the technology would serve as a “force multiplier” given the size of the patrol area and a lack of deputies, Wilkerson said, noting that three deputies and a lone supervisor are often the only law enforcement officers on patrol in rural parts of the county.

“It is my responsibility to look for innovative ways to provide services to our population and to increase the safety of my staff. This includes investigating new processes and technologies that can help us to protect our community in the safest and most efficient ways possible,” Wilkerson said.

The technology “when used properly, has the power to save lives,” Wilkerson said, noting how the cameras can be used to find missing children or endangered seniors.

Wilkerson, named sheriff by the Board of County Commissioners in June after the departure of former Lane County Sheriff Cliff Harrold, has previously said he will run for sheriff in elections next year.

In his message Friday, Wilkerson responded to ACLU concerns that license-plate recognition technology could place a “chill” on free speech and the right to protest.

“I can assure you that I will support and defend anyone’s right to free speech, religious freedom, and right to peacefully protest,” Wilkerson said.

Some of the criticism about the license-plate recognition technology has been specifically directed at Flock Safety, with Wyden calling out the company for, in the past, entering into federal pilot programs.

Wilkerson in his message stated that “Flock has discontinued their services with the Department of Homeland Security.”

He also noted that the sheriff’s office uses third-party contractors to provide various technologies, adding that “there is always the possibility that the federal government could attempt to find a way to obtain information through these mediums as well.

“It would be impossible and unreasonable for law enforcement to discontinue its use of technologies merely because of the possibility that the federal government could attempt access to these systems without our knowledge or permission,” Wilkerson said. “I would suggest that it is more reasonable to use our legislative branch of government to create appropriate legal guardrails to prevent the inappropriate release of information.”

The move to order the cameras did not involve a vote of the five-member Board of County Commissioners because board approval is required only for purchase orders of more than $150,000 per fiscal year, said county spokesperson Devon Ashbridge.

“Any final decision on the use of this technology will not be taken lightly,” Wilkerson said at the close of his message.