A proposed statewide ban on Flock surveillance cameras would strip the Washington County Sheriff's Office of seven devices used to fight retail crime near Bethany. Two Oregon state representatives plan to introduce the legislation when the 2027 session begins.

Rep. Willy Chotzen, a Portland Democrat and vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Alek Skarlatos, a Winston Republican, are drafting the bill, OPB reported Thursday, Sept. 24. The Oregonian/OregonLive first reported on the effort. No bill text exists yet.

The bipartisan push comes six months after Gov. Tina Kotek signed Senate Bill 1516 on March 31, establishing Oregon's first rules for automated license plate readers (ALPRs). That law limits data retention to 30 days, bars use for immigration enforcement and lets Oregonians sue vendors that violate privacy protections. Chotzen and Skarlatos want to go further and eliminate the cameras entirely.

"People don't like it, they find it creepy, and they want to make sure that we're protecting our rights to privacy," Chotzen told OPB.

The proposal has direct stakes for Washington County. Sheriff Caprice Massey told county commissioners at a Nov. 18, 2025, meeting that her office acquired seven Flock cameras through a $396,000 state grant, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. Massey said the cameras target organized retail crime and are not used for immigration enforcement. She also said the cameras are not automatic but are turned on and off by a technician.

At that same meeting, Washington County Commissioner Pam Treece said there is "just an extreme level of concern in our community about surveillance and how surveillance is being handled," according to KPTV. Commissioners asked Massey to return with more details but took no further action.

District Attorney Kevin Barton said at the Nov. 18, 2025, commissioners meeting that ALPR regulation is "the perfect area where the legislature and courts can step in and provide some guidance."

Whether a full ban can pass remains uncertain. State Sen. Floyd Prozanski, the Eugene Democrat who chairs the Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee, said in January 2026 during debate over SB 1516 that he values the technology "for legitimate, lawful law enforcement purposes" but believes it needs "safeguards and guardrails." OPB reported that Prozanski's office did not respond to requests for comment on the proposed ban.

Law enforcement groups have defended the cameras. The executive directors of the Oregon State Sheriffs' Association and Oregon Association Chiefs of Police argued in a February 2026 letter that ALPR data sharing strengthens coordination and case outcomes while respecting legal boundaries. Flock Safety spokesperson Andrew Smith called a blanket ban a loss of "a proven investigative tool."

The push to ban the cameras is gaining momentum beyond Oregon. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered Flock cameras removed from the state's highway system in August. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott paused state funding for the cameras. In Oregon, Albany, Bend, Eugene, Springfield and Woodburn have already stopped using them. Woodburn removed its cameras after confirming immigration enforcement agencies accessed the city's data dozens of times.

At a Sept. 23 U.S. Senate hearing titled "Always Watching: Flock's Nationwide AI Surveillance Network," Florida resident Lindsay Isaacs testified she spent 13 days in jail after a Flock camera mistakenly linked her vehicle to a fatal crash. Prosecutors later declined to prosecute.

No date has been set for the 2027 Oregon legislative session to begin. Skarlatos did not respond to OPB's request for comment.