The Public Wasn't Willing to Flock Around - The Source

First it was the invitation to the public to add their personal surveillance cameras to the network of cameras that can be automatically (or manually) accessed by law enforcement. Then it was red light cameras. And this summer, police in Bend added yet another tool ostensibly meant to monitor criminal behavior: Flock cameras installed along the highway. At each of these junctures we’ve understood the reason why cops might want to use the tools, while also worrying about seeing the data being used for something beyond tracking criminal behavior.

Plenty of information was already circulating about how the data from Flock cameras, specifically, could easily be accessed by the public. That’s troublesome, and so is the notion of seeing the data accessed by federal agents aiming to use it for immigration purposes, or even simply to track the movements of “enemies of the state” — a term often thrown out by this current administration to reference everyone from activists to journalists. It might have sounded unhinged just a few short years ago to express worry about how the federal government may be monitoring the general population, but it isn’t now. We are living in a time when the president and the members of the Cabinet are routinely violating privacy norms. This very week, the administration would have you believe that the American citizen killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was a dangerous terrorist.

Given these and other recent events, it is not unwarranted to be concerned about how surveillance could be misused here in Oregon. Event though we live in a sanctuary state where local law enforcement is barred from cooperating with immigration officials, it seems like a very real problem.

Individually, we may not have a lot of recourse when it comes to resisting an administration that is pushing the boundaries of the rule of law — but the very least we can do is avoid creating large data troves which have the very real potential for misuse.

This week, the Bend City Council heard the message shared by us and other members of the public: If we can’t guarantee private data stays private, we should get rid of the system collecting it. Bend Police say the cameras have been helpful in apprehending criminals. They and the Council both said they’d consider exploring another type of camera that doesn’t come with the same privacy concerns. If indeed the police want more cameras, then much more research is needed to ensure the system will be secure.

This editorial board has been saying since the City of Bend first began to implement more surveillance operations: This will have unintended consequences. This past week, in the case of the Flock cameras, it appears the City has heard the message: This is not the time to flock around and find out.

This article appears in the Source January 15, 2026.