City Manager Sarah Medary confirmed that she is working with Police Chief Chris Skinner to pause the activity of all Flock cameras within the next 24 hours during a city council meeting on Monday.
The decision comes after the city council unanimously voted to recommend that Medary pause the cameras during the Oct. 8th work session, after months of public scrutiny.
The Eugene branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation packed the meeting and demanded action from the city manager, advocating that the cameras be turned off.
“We’ve been doing outreach in the neighborhood, doing canvassing, going door to door, talking to people about the Flock system and its dangers and encouraging them to sign the petition,” Kamryn Stringfield, a member of PSL, said. “We’re hoping tonight to approve that pause, and then continue to push them to terminate the contract.”
Despite concerns from residents, the Eugene Police Department has hailed the cameras’ success in recent months for helping locate people with warrants and prevent crime, including their role in assisting an investigation last week that led to seven arrests connected to a multi-month burglary ring in Eugene.
Medary’s announcement on pausing the cameras occurred before public comment.
Eugene residents took to public comment to express their dissatisfaction with the installation of Flock cameras, urging the city council to terminate the city’s contract with Flock Safety, the company that hosts the license plate tracking cameras.
“City manager Medary, thank you for supporting that decision and deciding to turn off the cameras. You (city council) took a bold, correct step and took urgent action to turn off the (Flock) cameras,” Stringfield said during the public comment period. “I know some counselors expressed frustration that a motion was put on the table for this, but I think that’s the exact kind of courageous action we need from this council. When something is dangerous and urgent, we have to act fast to stop it.”
Stringfield also encouraged the city to cover cameras with trash bags to discourage Flock Safety from reactivating the cameras, citing a similar incident in Illinois.
During public comment, resident Bailey Gilmore delivered a letter from 15 supporters to completely dismantle the Flock cameras. Signers included a variety of organizations, among them were PSL, Eugene Civil Liberties Defense Center, Oregon Community Asylum Network and University of Oregon unions.
This story has been updated to reflect further details about the use of Flock cameras. This is a breaking story and may be updated.
