November 10, 2026 9:20 a.m.
www.nrtoday.com is reporting:
In a Monday night meeting, the City of Roseburg came to a decision on whether to continue using Flock cameras and discussed introducing a continuous homelessness discussion on council agendas.
In a 6-2 vote, the Roseburg City Council has passed a motion to keep its usage of Flock cameras as is, acting after several weeks of discussion on the automatic license plate readers.
The decision came after reintroducing a tabled motion from Councilor Shelly Briggs-Loosley to keep the city’s Flock cameras as they are. Roseburg will now continue its $75,000 two-year contract with Flock for 15 cameras, which is scheduled to run through February 20th, 2028.
For over a month, the council examined Roseburg’s contract with Flock following citizen public comments expressing privacy and ethical concerns with the cameras. This includes a presentation from Roseburg Police Chief Gary Klopfenstein on the Roseburg Police Department’s usage of them and debate between councilors on their pros and cons.
Council opinions on Flock cameras were divided. Councilor Tom Michalek spoke and voted in favor of Flock camera usage, saying he felt the RPD uses it properly.Michalek said, “I feel that our police department uses Flock for the right matters. I don’t think they’re spying on us. I’m for them.”
Councilor Zack Weiss, who voted against the motion, said he understands concerns about the technology’s possible issues as it develops into the future.Weiss said, “I honestly think that this privacy versus public safety conversation is a bit of a fallacy. Privacy is a portion of public safety,” Weiss said. “I don’t think it’s something we are really worried about right this second. It’s about what it normalizes for the future.”
Councilor Ellen Porter saw both sides, saying she feels the cameras should not be shut down but that citizen concerns should be addressed.
At the end of the meeting, Michalek introduced a motion to discuss ways of notifying the public of any changes to Flock camera usage in an upcoming city council meeting. It passed 6-2.
Complete coverage at www.nrtoday.com