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HomeMy WebLinkAbout251008 WSMINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session Eugene, Oregon 97401 October 8, 2025 12:00 p.m. Councilors Present: Eliza Kashinsky, Matt Keating, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Lyndsie Leech, and Randy Groves Mayor Knudson opened the October 8, 2025, Eugene City Council Work Session in a virtual format. 1. WORK SESSION: Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Camera System Assistant City Manager, Matt Rodrigues, introduced Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner, who presented information regarding the use of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology by the Eugene Police Department. Councilor Discussion: • Councilor Yeh -asked staff about unanswered questions from the work session poll; asked for cost of the camera system to the City once the grant funding ends; asked for clarification about the process for accessing data in the system, and how verification works; stated her concern for the ease at which other agencies could access Eugene's data; asked how hot lists work in the system; asked about the potential liability for unlawful searches in the system; noted appreciation for the changes made to the current contract, but stated she is not in favor of the continual partnership with the Flock company. • Councilor Keating -stated concern regarding other agencies and third-party entities access to Eugene's information; noted concern that this contract was not shared with Council before execution; asked staff to describe what procedural steps are in place to prevent outside agencies' misuse and access of information; asked for more detail about how filters for searches in the system work, such as immigration or reproductive health. • Councilor Zelenka -Noted appreciation and respect for the Eugene Police Department (EPD) and the work they do to keep the City safe; stated serious concerns about a continued partnership with the Flock corporation; stated that even with updates to the contract language, his concerns with this company remain; indicated concern regarding outside agencies accessing surveillance footage of the Flock camera systems; stated his preference not to collect the data or images if the information can be misused or inappropriately accessed; asked staff to address the termination clause in the contract. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session October 8, 2025 Page 1 • Councilor Kashinsky-expressed appreciation of the work that EPD and the Chief of Police do to address crime and safety in the community; recognized that law enforcement staff need technology tools to do their work and that all tools have risk; noted the importance of weighing the benefits against the risk in this specific situation; spoke about the significant risk to the community when this type of data is misused; stated she is not in favor a continued partnership with Flock; noted that even with the changes to the contract, Flock retains control over the data. MOTION: Councilor Kashinsky, seconded by Councilor Zelenka, moved to direct the City Manager to turn off the Flock cameras. Councilor Discussion: • Councilor Leech -asked for clarification of the motion on the table, specifically regarding what was meant by the words "turn off;" asked if that meant a cancellation of the contract or a pause of the contract. • Councilor Groves -stated concern that the conversation was not complete before a motion was announced; indicated he is not in favor of this motion and would appreciate the opportunity to get answers to his questions before a vote is taken. • Councilor Clark -indicated he is not in favor of a motion and vote before having a thorough discussion on the topic; asked the City Attorney for clarification about operational and policy control surrounding the City Manager's authority to execute contracts; asked to clarify what Council's recourse would be if they did not agree with a City Manager operational decision; stated he understands the public's concern about Flock's camera system; noted that most people carry cell phones which act as personal tracking devices through location services. • Councilor Keating -noted cell phones are voluntary/ opt-in tacking service; asked Chief Skinner about the contract renewal date; asked about the motion's impact on the continual usage of the camera system; asked staff about the number of cameras operating in Eugene; asked if the cameras found at grocery and department stores are included in the total of the 56 cameras; asked for clarification that the Flock camera system is a license plate reader; asked if data is stored and collected of people traveling by bicycle; asked for the names of other cities that have ended their contracts with Flock; stated he will likely support the current motion; expressed concern for Flock's storage of data and images, and the potential of the abuse of its data. • Councilor Zelenka -spoke about the current motion and the next steps; noted this vote would essentially create a policy of not using surveillance cameras; indicated the city manager typically does not pursue a policy contrary to council majority; noted the motion does not limit discussion and encouraged fellow councilors to ask their questions; stated his views on the actions of the federal government and the current atmosphere of distrust it has created in the community. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session October 8, 2025 Page 2 • Councilor Evans -asked the City Attorney about rephrasing the motion language to a pause in usage pending further policy discussions; indicated concern around the storage of data by Flock and councilors' concern of usage of the cameras; indicated interest in another discussion surrounding the usage of data collected by Flock; stated interest in creating City policy surrounding the usage, storage, and elimination of data collected by Flock; asked City Attorney for guidance on proposing an amendment to the motion. MOTION TO SUBSTITUTE (with friendly amendment): Councilor Evans, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to recommend that the City Manager pause the usage of the ALPR camera system pending additional conversation. Councilor Discussion: • Councilor Yeh -asked the City Manager about viable options that Council can recommend regarding the Flock camera system; shared her thoughts about the objective of today's work session; reiterated her concerns with the Flock company; stated support for researching other companies and their data management policies; asked for clarification on the wording of the motion, to direct verses recommend; made a friendly amendment to the motion that was accepted. • Councilor Clark-indicated support for making a recommendation to the City Manager now to pause, so that Council can have a broader policy discussion about the usage of surveillance systems. • Councilor Zelenka -noted that the Council follow-up conversation should focus on policy for using surveillance cameras; asked for clarification of the motion on the table, specifically next steps. • Councilor Evans -spoke of a previous surveillance practice by the local police in the 1980s of collecting pictures of the African American population; indicated in support of future conversations surrounding policy language specific to the usage and storage of technology. • Councilor Keating -asked for clarification on the immediacy of the request posed by the two motions; stated support for a motion that would immediately pause the usage of the cameras. • Councilor Groves -indicated the differences of the two motions and noted the motion to substitute aligns better with authorities outlined in charter as it is a recommendation. VOTE: 8:0 PASSED IN FAVOR: Kashinsky, Keating, Zelenka, Yeh, Clark, Evans, Leech, and Groves. OPPOSED: None. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session October 8, 2025 Page 3 VOTE ON SUBSTITUTED MOTION: Councilor Evans, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to recommend that the City Manager pause the usage of the ALPR camera system pending additional conversation. VOTE: 8:0 PASSED IN FAVOR: Kashinsky, Keating, Zelenka, Yeh, Clark, Evans, Leech, and Groves. OPPOSED: None. The work session was adjourned at 1:33 p.m. Katie LaSala City Recorder (Recorded by Rosa Roach) Link to the web cast of this City Council meeting here. MINUTES -Eug e n e City Council Work Session October 8, 2025 Pag e 4