Tigard police could lose access to two license plate reader cameras under a bill Oregon lawmakers are drafting for the 2027 legislative session.

Reps. Willy Chotzen, a Portland Democrat and vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and Alek Skarlatos, a Winston Republican, are preparing legislation that would ban Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras statewide. The Oregonian/OregonLive first reported the effort, and the Oregon Capital Chronicle detailed the bipartisan push on Friday, Sept. 25.

Tigard Police spokesperson Kelsey Anderson told The Oregonian in November 2025 that the department has access to two Flock cameras but had not deployed them. Whether Tigard has since put those cameras into service is unclear.

Washington County purchased seven Flock cameras using a $396,000 state grant. Sheriff Caprice Massey defended the technology in November 2025, telling county commissioners the cameras are used to investigate and deter property and theft crimes, not for broad surveillance.

The proposed ban would go further than a law Oregon enacted earlier this year. Gov. Tina Kotek signed Senate Bill 1516 on March 31, putting immediate restrictions on the cameras. The law limits data retention to 30 days unless tied to a criminal case, requires officers to log every database search, bars data from being used for immigration enforcement and lets residents sue camera vendors.

Chotzen said his constituents want stronger protections.

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

Law enforcement groups have pushed back. The presidents of the Oregon State Sheriffs' Association and Oregon Association Chiefs of Police wrote in a February 2026 letter that license plate reader data strengthens coordination between agencies and improves case outcomes. Neither group responded to the Capital Chronicle's request for comment on the proposed ban.

Flock Safety spokesperson Andrew Smith called the cameras a proven investigative tool in a statement and said a blanket ban would hurt communities that rely on them.

The push comes amid growing bipartisan backlash against the technology nationwide. At a U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 23, a Florida woman testified that she spent 13 days in jail after a Flock camera misidentified her vehicle in a fatal hit-and-run case. 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 the same month.

In Oregon, several cities have already shut off their Flock cameras, including Albany, Bend, Eugene, Springfield and Woodburn. Woodburn removed its cameras entirely after confirming that immigration enforcement agencies accessed the city's camera data dozens of times.

The bill would need to clear the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Floyd Prozanski, a Eugene Democrat. Prozanski said in January 2026, during debate over SB 1516, that he values the technology for lawful purposes but believes safeguards are necessary. His office did not respond to the Capital Chronicle's request for comment on the proposed ban.

No date has been set for the 2027 legislative session. Residents can contact Tigard Police at 503-629-0111 for questions about the department's use of license plate reader technology.