On July 16, 2026, the Port Orford City Council did something rare in American government. Every member voted yes — unanimously — on a resolution prohibiting FLOCK automated license plate reader cameras inside the city.
No hedging. No study committee. No pilot program. A unanimous vote to keep mass surveillance off their streets, and to require a two-thirds supermajority of voters before it could ever come back.
That vote deserves imitation. Coos Bay, North Bend, Bandon, Myrtle Point, Powers, Lakeside, and Coquille each have the same authority Port Orford exercised. So does the Board of Commissioners.
Think carefully about what that means. You drive to church. You drive to a gun shop. You drive to a political meeting, a doctor's office, a friend's house. Every one of those trips lands in a database a government employee can search at will. And that database does not stay local. FLOCK works with over 4,600 law enforcement partners in 49 states. A camera in Coquille feeds a national system run by a private corporation.
Oregon Cities Are Walking Away
Eugene terminated its FLOCK contract in December 2025, citing vulnerabilities and limitations in the system. Springfield ended its cameras alongside Eugene. Woodburn suspended its cameras after residents confirmed immigration enforcement agencies had accessed local camera data. Bend cut ties in January 2026.
A resolution is a statement of principle. An ordinance is local law — it commands conduct, attaches consequences, and cannot be quietly shelved. Our cities and the Board of Commissioners should act by ordinance, not resolution.
Citizens are preparing a ballot initiative, the Freedom from Invasive Surveillance Ordinance, which would prohibit ALPR systems countywide and require a two-thirds citizen referendum to ever repeal it.
Read the full article at robtaylorreport.com