The Eugene City Council held a work session on June 17 to summarize the city’s current surveillance technology and discuss possible avenues to take for a mass surveillance policy.
The council passed a work session poll on March 2 to discuss creating a surveillance technology policy, following months of protest by Eugene residents over automated license plate readers vendored by Flock Safety.
ALPRs are cameras placed on intersections used to capture and save license plate numbers to create a database, commonly used by law enforcement to identify vehicles involved in crimes. Flock Safety is a security company and a national vendor for the cameras.
Former Eugene city manager Sarah Medary entered a contract with Flock Safety in March 2024, inciting public outcry over concerns of mass surveillance, personal privacy and possible breaches of information in Flock Safety’s database.
Allegations of data sharing between local law enforcement agencies, as well as federal agencies like the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has created national conversation about the presence of ALPRs in cities.
In December 2025, the Eugene Police Department announced the termination of the Flock Camera contract after months of pushback from Eugene residents.
During Wednesday’s work session, Assistant City Manager Matt Rodrigues presented the council with how the city currently utilizes surveillance technology. Security cameras, security screening, aerial drones, body worn cameras and in-car videos are regularly used by the city and EPD.
One emerging technology the city is exploring is an automated red light and speed safety camera. Eugene’s Vision Zero Action Plan, dedicated to decreasing traffic deaths to zero, listed the installation of these cameras as priorities and essential to traffic safety.
Rodrigues also discussed current state legislation regarding ALPR usage, such as the recent passage of Senate Bill 1516, which restricts the use of ALPRs by law enforcement. The bill was carried by Senator Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene).
If the council were to create a mass surveillance policy, Eugene would be one of only a few U.S. cities to adopt one.
According to information presented by Rodrigues, 26 cities have adopted a policy based on principles established by the American Civil Liberties Union’s Community Control Over Police Surveillance campaign. Portland is currently the only city in Oregon to have a mass surveillance policy, adopted in 2024 after a resolution. Unlike other cities with policies, it is not based on ACLU guidelines.
These cities, according to Rodrigues, took similar steps when developing policies. They often define what surveillance technology means to the city, who the policy would apply to, who would review new technologies and what exceptions there may be to the policy.
After information was presented, councilors were given the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the future of surveillance technology policies in Eugene. Each councilor that spoke expressed a desire for a surveillance technology policy.
“For me, the answer to the question whether the city council should establish a mass surveillance technology policy, the answer is clearly yes,” Councilor Alan Zelenka of Ward Three said. “It ceased being a management or contractual issue under the purview of the city manager when the Flock issue blew up into the public sphere.”
Councilor Randy Groves of Ward Eight and Councilor Lyndsie Leech of Ward Seven both emphasized community engagement and public input when developing a policy.
“Whatever we find, we have to tailor it to this community. I agree that we need to do more public outreach on this,” Groves said. “We heard loud voices during public comment period at our council meetings, but I would really like to get a feel for how the entire city feels about it.”
Each councilor that spoke said they hoped to create a policy by the end of the calendar year, but Rodrigues and City Manager Jenny Haruyama advised that cities have taken years to develop their policies. Eugene could possibly bring the council a framework for a policy within six months, Haruyama said, but the implementation of a full policy would take more time with a phased approach.
Mayor Kaarin Knudson spoke in support of the council’s ideas on developing a citywide surveillance technology policy.
“I think there is a lot of wisdom in that phased approach in initiating this work and for looking at the areas where we know we might need early feedback or feedback sooner so that we can progress efficiently with other areas of work,” Knudson said.
Although the council took no action, as the work session was informational only, the council appeared to be in agreement that development of a surveillance technology policy would be a priority before the end of the year.
