Florence Holds Town Hall on License Plate Camera Program

Florence hosted a public town hall on Jan. 5 to gather community input on the city’s use of Flock Safety automatic license plate reader cameras, a policy question that has drawn attention across Lane County and the state. City staff presented information about the cameras' operation and use before opening the floor to public comment, and the event was intended to inform council deliberations about whether to continue the Flock contract.

The cameras were first activated in Florence in 2024. By early 2026 the city had four cameras installed and officials had plans to deploy two more. Florence staff told residents the system has been used to help recover stolen vehicles and locate missing people. Those claims were part of the information presented to frame the public discussion.

Community reaction included concerns about privacy and potential use of the camera data for immigration enforcement. Residents who testified at a Jan. 3 city council meeting reiterated those objections at the town hall, and the session allowed other residents to register to speak and address officials directly. The city required sign-up for those seeking to make public comment.

Florence’s debate follows a wider regional response to Flock Safety. Nearby cities and the county have moved to suspend or terminate contracts with Flock amid similar public concern about data retention, sharing and oversight. The controversy has also reached the state capital, where lawmakers have discussed potential rules for automatic license plate reader providers and tighter controls on how jurisdictions share and store the data such systems generate.

The choice facing Florence officials is both local and policy driven. For residents, the decision will shape how law enforcement and the city monitor vehicle movements on public streets, how long plate data is stored, who can access it and whether third party providers can share it with other agencies. It also highlights how citizen input at town halls and council meetings can influence municipal surveillance decisions.

As Florence moves forward, the town hall record and public testimony will be part of the material city leaders review when considering the future of the Flock system. The debate underscores a wider tension for local governments balancing public safety tools against privacy protections and the need for clear oversight and rules governing commercial surveillance vendors.