Publisher: The Source Weekly, Bend, Oregon (Peter Madsen)
Date Published: June 29, 2026
Relevant To: ALPR presentation (August); direct BPA advocacy citation
Verification Status: Verified
Notes: DIRECTLY QUOTES JONATHAN. Covers Bend PD’s updated Policy 428 (published mid-May 2026) responding to Oregon SB 1516: reiterates Bend PD as sole ALPR database owner, adds privacy/accountability/civil-rights safeguards, bars use for First Amendment-protected activity, federal immigration enforcement, or out-of-state abortion investigations. But Bend PD has NOT yet published required 30-day/quarterly audits because vendor Axon hasn’t delivered them (in contrast, Sunriver PD has published monthly audits via Flock since March). Key unresolved issue: Axon’s encryption doesn’t meet SB 1516’s end-to-end-encryption standard because Axon retains a maintenance access key; current Axon contract (expires July 2027) is grandfathered but any add-on/new contract must comply. Jonathan is quoted directly: “How can you have a law where you’re requiring something where there’s no definition of what you’re requiring… What good is a bill if the key requirement is left undefined?” Article also notes Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office deliberately avoided ALPR in its new $2.4M Axon contract, citing the 279-query federal-access episode reported earlier by the Source. Sen. Floyd Prozanski (chairs Senate Judiciary) is open to a future work group to define E2EE more strictly. Bend’s 5-year Axon contract expires July 2027.