Eugene, OR
The City of Eugene and the Eugene Police Department announced immediate termination of the city's Flock Safety contract covering 57 license plate reader cameras. EPD said it had identified vulnerabilities and limitations in the Flock system that did not meet the standards of the department or the community. City Manager Sarah Medary described it as a joint call with Chief Chris Skinner that ultimately came down to trust.
What moved this decision
- Flock activating a camera during the city’s ordered pause
- Identified vulnerabilities and limitations in the Flock system
- Loss of community and departmental trust in the vendor
- Council’s 8-0 vote on 2025-10-08 recommending a pause
- Fear of federal misuse of the data
What happened afterwards
The proximate trigger was a vendor action, not a policy dispute: the police chief said Flock activated a camera during the city's ordered pause. Eugene's council had voted 8-0 on 2025-10-08 to recommend pausing use, and the city had already opted out of Flock's nationwide lookup feature earlier in 2025. When Flock said it would not begin removing hardware until 2026-01-26, Eugene sent its own staff instead - city crews removed 55 of the 57 cameras by 2025-12-19 and the last two the following week. Springfield announced the end of its Flock program the same day. The Eugene and Springfield controversies directly fed Oregon SB 1516, signed 2026-03-31, and Eugene's council subsequently moved to develop a citywide surveillance technology policy.
Sources
- KLCC - Eugene and Springfield both announce end of Flock camera usage
- Lookout Eugene-Springfield - Flock activated camera during 'pause,' chief says, pushing city to axe contract
- OPB - Eugene and Springfield both announce end of Flock camera usage
- Lookout Eugene-Springfield - Timeline: The brief, troubled history of Flock cameras in Eugene, Springfield