Winston Cancels Flock Camera Contract Amid Police Budget Reductions

WINSTON, Ore. - The Winston Police Department has canceled its contract with Flock Safety, ending the city's eight-camera automated license plate reader program as the department works to absorb $215,000 in budget reductions.

Winston Mayor Christie Knutson confirmed the decision to The Roseburg Receiver Tuesday morning.

"The flock cameras were canceled by Chief Sarti as part of his ask to cut 215k from his budget," Knutson said.

The cancellation was discussed at length during Monday night's Winston City Council meeting, where Police Chief Brandon Sarti described the financial pressures facing his department and explained why Flock was among the expenses he chose to eliminate.

The City Council also voted Monday to terminate a separate resolution involving an agreement with the Oregon Department of Transportation for automated license plate readers along Oregon Highway 42.

The full Aug. 17 Winston City Council meeting packet is available through the city.

The recording of the audio is found below:

Police Department Asked to Cut $215,000

During his department report Monday, Sarti said he had been working to reduce expenses and pursue outside funding, including several grants intended to offset police department costs.

Sarti said he initially expected the department might be asked to find another $50,000 in reductions, or as much as $80,000. Instead, he said he was asked to cut $215,000.

Sarti described the reduction as significant for the department, particularly as it faces staffing challenges. He told the council his lieutenant is retiring Sept. 1 and said the department was already dealing with other personnel shortages.

City Administrator Thomas McIntosh also addressed the city's financial situation, saying rising costs, including medical insurance and other expenses, have contributed to budget shortfalls across the city.

McIntosh said the process of asking departments to make reductions has been difficult and acknowledged that many of the programs being considered for cuts provide value to the city.

Flock Among Programs Cut

During his report, Sarti announced that he was ending Winston's Flock contract.

Later in the discussion, Sarti said he had contacted Flock that day and requested that the city's cameras be shut down.

The decision was financial, but the discussion also touched on concerns surrounding the technology and public trust.

Sarti said he understood concerns about what he described as the "Big Brother" perception surrounding automated license plate readers. At the same time, he strongly defended the cameras as an investigative tool.

He told the council Winston police had used Flock cameras in cases involving a homicide, a drive-by shooting and incidents in city parks. He also pointed to their potential usefulness in cases involving stolen vehicles, wanted suspects and abducted children.

Sarti said the usefulness of the technology had to be weighed against both the department's financial situation and what the community wanted.

He said that if residents did not want the cameras, the department would turn them off. Sarti also said Flock was the first program he selected when looking for an expense to eliminate.

Public Concerns Also Discussed

Knutson also discussed the broader debate surrounding Flock cameras during Monday's meeting.

She said she had recently attended an Oregon Mayors Association event where automated license plate readers were discussed and said some communities had experienced significant public opposition to the technology.

Knutson also expressed support for the potential public safety value of the cameras, particularly in circumstances such as locating an abducted child, while acknowledging concerns surrounding the systems.

Sarti said Winston had attempted to provide public oversight of its program by publishing information on the city's website, including camera locations and information about agencies authorized to access the system.

The Winston Police Department maintains an Automated License Plate Recognition section on the city's website.

Sarti said federal agencies did not have direct access through Winston's system and acknowledged that federal access had become one of the major areas of public concern surrounding Flock.

Winston Had Eight Flock Cameras

Sarti told the council Winston had eight Flock cameras assigned to the city at a total cost of approximately $24,000.

The cameras were positioned at several approaches to Winston, including Lookingglass Road and Highway 42, with some placed outside city limits so officers could receive alerts before a vehicle entered Winston.

Sarti explained that the cameras were networked with other law enforcement resources in Douglas County, allowing officers to receive information when a vehicle being sought by police was detected.

He said the locations were selected strategically to give officers additional time to respond when a vehicle of interest was approaching the city.

Winston's cameras were still operating at the time of Monday night's meeting, but Sarti said he had requested that all eight be shut down and removed.

Highway 42 Resolution Terminated

The council separately considered Resolution No. 26-1237, an intergovernmental agreement with ODOT involving automated license plate readers along Highway 42.

The agreement had previously been discussed by the council and returned Monday under old business.

With the Flock program being canceled, Sarti recommended that the city no longer move forward with the ODOT agreement.

The council subsequently approved a motion to terminate Resolution No. 26-1237.

McIntosh told the council that while reducing the number of cameras could theoretically have been considered, the larger financial situation meant the approximately $24,000 spent on the Flock program was needed for higher-priority areas of the police department.

Removal Timeline Still Unknown

Although Winston has canceled its contract, it remains unclear exactly when the cameras will be shut off and physically removed.

Sarti said during the meeting that he had notified Flock that the city was ending the program but did not yet know the company's exact cancellation procedure or timeline.

Knutson later told The Roseburg Receiver that Flock is responsible for installing and removing its cameras.

She said the city has not been notified when the cameras will be removed or whether Flock will notify Winston before that occurs.

The equipment belongs to Flock rather than the city.

What Are Flock Cameras?

Flock Safety operates automated license plate reader systems used by law enforcement agencies to identify and search for vehicles.

The cameras capture information about passing vehicles, allowing authorized law enforcement users to search the system or receive alerts when certain vehicles are detected.

Supporters of automated license plate readers point to their usefulness in locating stolen vehicles, wanted suspects and missing or abducted people. Critics have raised concerns about privacy, data collection and the sharing of information between law enforcement agencies.

Those competing considerations were reflected in Monday's discussion in Winston. Sarti repeatedly described the cameras as useful to police investigations while also acknowledging public concerns about the technology.

For Winston, however, city officials said the immediate issue was money.

The Flock program was one of several expenses being eliminated as Sarti works to find $215,000 in reductions while attempting to maintain the police department's core patrol and investigative services.

The city has canceled the contract, the council has terminated the Highway 42 resolution and Flock is expected to shut down and remove Winston's eight cameras. The timing of that process remains unknown.