Tag: Bend City Council

  • RE:Comments on Bend Police Department Policy 428 — Automated License Plate Readers

    Hi Mayor Kebler and Councilors,

    Thank you for confirming receipt, and for ensuring the comments reach Chief Krantz. I appreciate it.

    I do want to clarify that several of my asks are Council-level governance questions rather than only Department policy edits. Specifically, I am asking whether Council will require public review before treating Policy 428 as sufficient ALPR governance, and whether Council will direct that no new ALPR system, renewal, expansion, or feature activation move forward until the policy is amended.

    Since Councilors are copied on this thread, I want to be clear that the three asks in my letter are addressed to Council as a body. They concern public oversight and governance, not only edits to Department policy, and I would welcome any response from Councilors.

    I would also appreciate understanding the City’s process for written public comment on Policy 428 or future ALPR use. Will written comments be included in the Council packet for the meeting where this comes up, or distributed to Councilors individually?

    I have not seen Policy 428 on a published agenda yet, and I would like to be there in person for public comment if and when it comes up.

    Thank you again.

    Jonathan

  • Speaking to Bend City Council About Axon and Police Accountability

    Speaking to Bend City Council About Axon and Police Accountability

    A public comment on police technology, public safety, and accountability.

    This video shows my public comment to Bend City Council regarding two connected concerns: the proposed expansion of Axon police technology and the police response after a bullet was fired into my mother’s apartment.

    My concern is not only whether new policing tools are useful. It is whether the City has strong enough oversight, transparency, auditing, data protections, and accountability in place before expanding police technology contracts.

    The same public safety system that asks residents to trust expanded technology must also be able to respond clearly, urgently, and accountably when a bullet enters someone’s home. That experience shaped why I believe Bend should slow down, ask harder questions, and build stronger safeguards before expanding surveillance or police technology systems.

    Why this matters

    Police technology decisions are not just purchasing decisions. They shape how public safety works, how data is collected, how evidence is handled, and how residents are asked to trust government systems.

    Before expanding Axon or any similar system, Bend should have clear answers about:

    • What data will be collected;
    • Who can access it;
    • How long it will be retained;
    • How searches and usage will be audited;
    • How errors, misuse, or weak responses will be reviewed; and
    • How residents will know whether these systems are actually improving safety.

    Technology can support public safety, but it cannot replace accountability. In fact, the more powerful the technology becomes, the stronger the oversight needs to be.

    Watch the public comment here:
    Speaking to Bend City Council about Axon expansion and police accountability