Part of the Bend Source Library. Press coverage and investigative reporting on police technology, AI report-writing, and surveillance issues — organized by outlet, including The Source Weekly’s Peter Madsen reporting, KTVZ, The Bend Bulletin, Central Oregon Daily, OPB, and Oregon Capital Chronicle.
Background reporting and investigations
- EFF press release: AI product for police reports designed to hinder audits
- Alaska Public Media: Anchorage police not moving forward with using AI to write reports
- GeekWire: Prosecutor tells Seattle-area law enforcement not to use AI for police reports
- Fair and Just Prosecution: AI-Generated Police Reports — High-Tech, Low Accuracy, Big Risks
- Wired: bipartisan amendment would curb police license plate tracking nationwide
The Source (Bend, Oregon) — Peter Madsen reporting
- Peter Madsen, The Source — “Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office to Contract with Axon for Body, Dash Cams and Tasers” (June 4, 2026) — Reports BOCC approval of Contract No. 2026-0327. Interim Sheriff Ty Rupert stated he deliberately excluded ALPR capability from the Axon Fleet 3 contract due to public concern about potential data security breaches by federal immigration authorities, citing the Flock Safety controversy.
- Peter Madsen, The Source — “Bend Residents Will Get a Say About More AI Surveillance Cameras” (May 22, 2026) — Reports that Bend City Council committed to a public vote and comment period on the proposed stationary ALPR contract add-on, after Mayor Melanie Kebler responded to public comment citing The Source’s reporting on the matter.
- Peter Madsen, The Source — “Since ‘de-Flocking,’ Bend Officials Circle a New Vendor for Surveillance Cameras, With No Plans for Public Input” (May 20, 2026) — Reports that following the January 7 shutdown of Flock cameras, city officials were moving toward a new stationary ALPR vendor without a public process, while noting that a dozen ALPR cameras in Bend PD cruisers were already scanning plates daily and uploading to an Axon-controlled cloud platform querying against Oregon State Police and FBI databases.
- Peter Madsen, The Source — “Federal Immigration Officials Made 279 Queries into Bend’s Flock Safety Data in its First Three Weeks” (May 6, 2026) — Reveals that ICE, CBP, and Homeland Security Investigations accessed Bend PD’s Flock ALPR database 279 times during June 2025, the first three weeks of the pilot program. Bend PD stated the exact data retrieved could not be determined due to Flock’s then-absent audit trail.
The Source Weekly — additional entries
- The Source Weekly — Editorial: “Local law enforcement is right to be more cautious of new video surveillance technology” (June 2, 2026) — Published two days before the BOCC June 3 vote on DCSO’s Axon contract.
- The Source Weekly — “After a recent rollout in Bend, bodycams are doing their job” — Early coverage of the BPD BWC deployment.
KTVZ (Bend, Oregon)
- KTVZ — “Bend City Council OKs $679K contract for police dashboard, in-car camera system” (July 21, 2022) — Reports council approval of the Phase 2 Axon contract covering Fleet 3 in-vehicle cameras; confirms $679,500 five-year contract value.
- KTVZ — “City of Bend turns off, will uninstall Flock license plate reader cameras amid security concerns” (January 8, 2026)
- KTVZ — “City of Bend to install traffic cameras at four intersections” (February 27, 2026)
- KTVZ — “Bend rolls out automatic traffic cameras at three intersections — here’s how they work” (April 8, 2026)
The Bend Bulletin
- The Bend Bulletin — Editorial: “Legislators should look at license plate readers” (November 18, 2025)
- The Bend Bulletin — “Bend moves ahead with traffic cameras, reveals some locations” (September 18, 2025)
- The Bend Bulletin — “Bend police to launch drones from county courthouse roof” (February 19, 2026)
- The Bend Bulletin — “Bend police tout drones as critical public safety tool” (September 10, 2025)
Central Oregon Daily
- Central Oregon Daily — “Bend City Council to vote on contract for police body cameras” — Covers the 2020–2021 BWC adoption process.
- Central Oregon Daily — “Bend red light, speed cameras warning period begins” (April 2026)
- Central Oregon Daily — “Bend upgrades parking garage system for easier access and payment” (January 2025)
- Central Oregon Daily — “Bend police drones set standard as Oregon Legislature weighs lifting privacy guardrails” (September 2025) [paywalled]
- Central Oregon Daily — Bend parking garage security robot proposal (2023)
OPB
Oregon Capital Chronicle
- Oregon Capital Chronicle — “A new Oregon law regulates police use of license plate readers. Here’s how it works.” (April 23, 2026) — Comprehensive explainer on SB 1516: sanctuary law compliance, end-to-end encryption mandate and its definitional gap, public audit requirements, and implications for Axon’s key retention architecture.