by Wayne Lee – Reporter/Photographer
The Eagle Point City Council met July 28 and the issue of Flock cameras, which record the license plates, and other details, of passing cars, was front and center once again when local resident Chandler James spoke during public comment on non-agenda items. He used his three minutes to express his concerns regarding the Flock cameras around the community recording information of every passing vehicle.
Chandler stated, “Flock Safety will log your vehicle based on bumper stickers, window stickers, paint color and, obviously, your license plate. The problem stems from their ability to create a map of where your vehicle goes every day. This allows anyone with access to these systems to electronically stalk you. They can know what streets you take and at what time. They can find out where you would likely be several days from now based on your pattern.”
“Flock recently unveiled a new technology that allows any modern cell phone that passes nearby their cameras to be identified by the Bluetooth signal. Using this data, they can further track you even if you are just walking down the street with your phone in your pocket.”
Note: The new tech is called SignalTrace. It is an add-on which can turn license plate reader cameras into advanced vehicle tracking technology. SignalTrace is a vehicle tracking technology that combines data from [Flock] cameras with signals transmitted by nearby electronic devices (phones, smart watches, ear buds, etc.). It will do this without the device owner’s permission.
James went on to state, “Hackers have already been able to infiltrate this network and using information gathered from these cameras, can find any information about you that exists. This includes college info, address, family relations, Facebook accounts, where you bank, anything and everything. Beyond this egregious illegal act, it has been shown that these cameras can be accessed by Flock Safety themselves – a private corporation able to know anywhere you go.”
He went on to add that there have been reported incidents of the system being used by police officers across the country to stalk romantic partners both current and past. James concluded by stating, “We cannot compromise our 4th Amendment rights to privacy for temporary safety. It is un-American.”
Note: The Los Angeles Police Department announced its intention not to renew their contract with Flock Safety based on similar concerns. “This contract is not being renewed because of serious concerns around civil rights,” said Dean Gialamas, the department’s Chief Information Officer, “because of serious concerns around civil liberties and civil rights issues, particularly around privacy and the data that is being collected from these cameras.”
“The LAPD had to make a difficult decision, in this case discontinuing using Flock services until we can get those data, privacy, security and sharing concerns ironed out through a contractual relationship,” he said adding, “The use is strictly for law enforcement purposes, so the cameras can be searched. If there is criminal activity, there needs to be an active case, users registered in the system, trained in the system.”
Flock Safety issued a statement saying, “Flock’s position has been simple. If this technology is going to be used, it should be with strong privacy protection, strict auditability, and clear oversight. While this latest development is a surprise, we remain committed to continuing our active and ongoing conversations with LAPD to find a path forward. We are proud of our partnership with LAPD and the results it has achieved for the city.”
Next up on the City Council agenda was a presentation on micro trenching by Hunter Communications’ Director of Operations, Jason Robinson. Micro trenching is how Hunter installs their fiber optic lines underground in communities that don’t have overhead utilities. Robinson noted that previous underground installation was accomplished in two different ways. There’s open excavation in which a large trench was excavated using heavy equipment which includes a backhoe and dump trucks while blocking off entire streets. There is also directional drilling which doesn’t create a large, open trench but does block access to street parking until the job is complete.
Micro trenching is a four-inch-wide shallow trench in which the cable is placed before being backfilled and paved over. Robinson noted that to install six miles of cable, open excavation took 80 days; directional drilling took 42 days while micro trenching took just 22 days and was much less intrusive. The presentation was informational and no action by the council was required.
Next up was a presentation by the Eagle Point Senior Center. Each year the city donates $4,000 to the center and was looking for a report on where the money goes. Since this reporter is also vice-president of the senior center, I was asked to give the presentation. Changing hats, I stepped to the podium and gave a rundown of the recent history of the center (I’m now in my 20th year as a volunteer there). I spoke about how the center opened in 1987 and later expanded the building in the late 2000’s. The expansion allowed for more space for the thrift store, which used to provide 40% of the center’s income. It now provides 75%.
Other sources of income include twice-weekly bingo, weekend craft fairs, raffles and groups that rent the facility. The center also allows Food & Friends to operate their senior meals program Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 12:30 free of charge as part of their service to local seniors.
However, with age comes repairs and maintenance. The center has had major repair work done to the HVAC system, the parking lot, energy efficient windows and replaced the sliding glass doors that once accessed the outdoors but became the entrance to the office when the building was expanded. It now has actual glass doors that slide open which removed a major tripping hazard from the metal runners of the previous patio doors.
The inside has been repainted, the 40 chairs needed to be replaced after becoming so worn, they were breaking apart, and the bathrooms have been upgraded as well. However, the center’s floor is showing signs of cracking and will need to be repaired and replaced in the near future at an estimated cost of $15,000 and kitchen improvements as equipment needs replacement could reach as much as $25,000 over the next three to four years.
The center also operates community events such as the annual Veterans’ Day breakfast which serves veterans and their spouses a free breakfast and a 4th of July pancake breakfast for the community ($ 7.00 per person; kids eat free).
The council’s only action item was approval of a resolution authorizing the City Administrator to create a policy regarding taking home city vehicles. City Administrator Aaron Prunty immediately explained that any such policy would be highly restrictive in part due to IRS codes that consider having regular use of a city vehicle can be interpreted as a salary benefit and therefore taxed as additional income.
Prunty explained such use would be strictly limited to the Chief of Police and his second in command having a police unit at home to immediately respond to a major incident rather than drive to city hall to exchange vehicles before responding. Another example would be to allow a public works employee to park a snowplow outside his home on nights when heavy snowfall is expected.
The council voted unanimously to allow Prunty to develop such a policy for future consideration of limited use.
The meeting concluded with Community Development Director Mike Upston informing the council that the new, revised ordinance to expand the Urban Growth Boundary will come before the council at their Aug. 25 meeting. Initially there was a disagreement between the city and the county over who would be responsible for the maintenance of both Alta Vista and Bingham-Brown roads, which border the planned project. The county wanted the city to be responsible for both roads, with the city explaining they don’t have the resources to immediately maintain the added miles the county was requesting. The two sides were able to work out an agreement which will be discussed at the end of the month.
The day before the council meeting, the council held a study session to go over council rules. This happens every two years, and Mayor Kathy Sell noted there have been new members elected to the council since the last review.
The list totaled 51 rules divided into 11 categories from the types of council meetings, the responsibilities of the department heads, the duties and privileges of council members, to Section 9: Procedure for Council Meetings which listed 18 different rules from rules of order for beginning a meeting to adjournment. The entire procedure took 70 minutes to complete.
