QuickTake:

Oregon’s senior senator wrote in a public letter that the license-plate reader technology company “misled its state and local law enforcement customers.”

Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based company providing license-plate reader technology to Eugene and Springfield, “cannot live up to its commitment to protect the privacy and security of Oregonians,” U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said in a public letter Thursday, Oct. 16.

Police installed the pole-mounted cameras beginning in May in Eugene and last month in Springfield, describing the technology — paid for with state grant money — as helpful in finding criminal suspects and also missing persons.

But in both cities the cameras, for now at least, are not in use, officials say, after dozens of citizens in public meetings voiced concerns about privacy and how the technology could be used to target vulnerable groups.

Wyden, in his letter to Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley, said “abuses” of the Flock cameras are “not only likely but inevitable.”

“In my view, local elected officials can best protect their constituents from the inevitable abuses of Flock cameras by removing Flock from their communities,” Wyden said.

Back in July, Wyden touted what he said was an agreement for Flock Safety to filter out requests for data related to immigration or abortion coming into any Oregon law enforcement agency, but said he would “keep watchdogging” the company.

On Thursday, Wyden said he reached his conclusions after conducting “further oversight.”

Flock Safety, in a rebuttal letter, said the company responded “fully and in good faith” with inquiries made by the senator’s staff.

“Like your staff, your letter poses a series of hypotheticals, and posits, without support, that future abuses of our technologies are ‘inevitable.’ We respectfully disagree. We work to constantly improve and enhance not only the efficacy of our products, but also the compliance, transparency, and public accountability features that protect civil liberties,” said the letter signed by Dan Haley, the company’s chief legal officer.

The strongly worded statement from Wyden comes after Eugene city councilors unanimously voted on Oct. 8 to pause use of the cameras until there can be further community discussion.

In Springfield, police installed cameras but say they have yet to be activated for use in criminal investigations. The Springfield City Council will meet Monday, Oct. 20, for a work session to discuss the technology.

In Thursday’s letter, Wyden accused Flock Safety of misleading police when it “assured its state and local law enforcement customers that the company does not provide access to the Department of Homeland Security.”

But Wyden said Flock officials “subsequently confirmed to my office in September that the company provided access to [U.S. Customs and Border Protection], Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Secret Service, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as part of a pilot earlier this year.”

Wyden wrote that “Flock told my office that during the pilot, which has now ended, CBP and HSI conducted approximately 200 and 175 searches respectively.”

Wyden continued: “Flock also confirmed that it misled its state and local law enforcement customers, telling my office that ‘due to internal miscommunication, customers were inaccurately informed that Flock did not have any relationship with DHS, while pilot programs with sub-agencies of DHS were briefly active.’”