Malheur

Statewide

1. July 25, 2025 U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden announced an agreement with Flock Safety barring out-of-state agencies from running searches of Oregon camera data tied to abortion or immigration; searches among Oregon agencies were not affected. Wyden had contacted Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Oregon State Police, who told him Oregon had no statewide policy on plate-reader data access. (KLCC, July 25, 2025)
2. Oct. 16, 2025 Wyden said his office's review found Flock's search filters could be bypassed and that Flock does not proactively audit searches; he urged local officials to consider removing Flock cameras. (Office of U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, Oct. 16, 2025)
3. Nov. 17, 2025 The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene), held an informational hearing on license plate readers ahead of the 2026 session; the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police said Oregon departments comply with the state sanctuary law. (KLCC, Nov. 17, 2025)
4. Dec. 2025 In mid-December 2025, Prozanski said he had assembled a work group of police, the ACLU and the anti-surveillance group Eyes Off Eugene to write plate-reader rules for the 2026 session, and that any rules must fit Oregon's shield and sanctuary laws. (KLCC, Dec. 15, 2025)
5. March 5, 2026 The Legislature passed Senate Bill 1516, a public safety omnibus bill containing plate-reader rules; the Senate vote was 27-0 (February) and the House vote 54-3. The House Rules Committee had recommended the A-engrossed bill 7-0 on March 3, 2026. (The Oregonian/OregonLive (republished by GovTech), March 6, 2026; Oregon Legislature, March 3, 2026; KLCC, March 6, 2026)
6. March 31, 2026 Gov. Tina Kotek signed SB 1516, effective on signing under an emergency clause. It limits plate-reader data retention to 30 days unless tied to a criminal investigation or court proceeding, requires a logged purpose for each search, bars use for immigration enforcement (the staff summary cites ORS 181A.820), limits searches by non-Oregon agencies to discrete law-enforcement-relevant requests that must be logged, makes agencies the data owners, requires vendors to produce monthly and quarterly audits that agencies publish, exempts plate data from public records, and creates a private right of action against vendors for intentional or grossly negligent sharing. Local governments may adopt stricter rules. (Oregon Capital Chronicle (republished by OPB), April 23, 2026; Oregon Legislature, March 3, 2026; Willamette Week, June 29, 2026; KLCC, March 6, 2026)
7. April 2026 ODOT said its current policy does not allow ALPRs within state highway right of way and that it would work with Flock and law enforcement to remove or relocate cameras installed along Highway 199 in Cave Junction. (KOBI-TV NBC5, April 2026)
8. June 29, 2026 Willamette Week reported that Albany, Bend, Eugene, Springfield and Woodburn had turned off Flock cameras, with Woodburn removing its cameras after an audit showed immigration agencies had accessed its data. (Willamette Week, June 29, 2026)
9. Sept. 11, 2026 A statewide roundup listed Bend, Eugene, Springfield, Talent, Winston and Woodburn as having canceled or suspended Flock contracts in recent months. (Willamette Week (Oregon Journalism Project), Sept. 11, 2026)
10. Sept. 2026 The Oregon Capital Chronicle reported that Reps. Willy Chotzen (D-Portland) and Alek Skarlatos (R-Winston) are pursuing 2027 legislation that could ban Flock cameras statewide; Chotzen spoke to the outlet and Skarlatos did not respond. Flock argued a blanket ban would take away an investigative tool. (Oregon Capital Chronicle (republished by OPB), Sept. 25, 2026)

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