City of Portland releases first-ever inventory of surveillance technologies

Portland, Ore. - The City of Portland today released its first report documenting how City bureaus use surveillance technologies. The City of Portland's Surveillance Technologies Inventory Phase IReport marks an important step toward improving transparency, accountability, and responsible technology use across City government.

The report was developed by the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability's Smart City PDX program in collaboration with the Office of Equity and Human Rights. The effort responds to City Council Resolution 37608, which called for a citywide understanding of how surveillance tools are used.

Phase I focused on identifying the most impactful and publicly relevant technologies currently in use by City bureaus. Findings show that eight bureaus reported using surveillance technologies, with the Portland Police Bureau accounting for about half of all reported tools. Cameras-including body-worn, security, and automated license plate readers-are the most common, followed by social media monitoring, geolocation services, and drones.

"This work builds a foundation for transparency," said Héctor Domínguez Aguirre, Smart City PDX Program Manager. "Residents have consistently asked for more information about what surveillance tools the City uses and how they can participate in decisions about them. This report helps answer those questions and shapes our next steps."

The report also found that most surveillance technologies are managed independently by bureaus, without centralized oversight. This decentralized approach highlights the need for consistent citywide policy and accountability, which will be a focus of Phase II of the inventory process beginning in Winter 2025.

Phase II will build on these findings by developing a standardized data collection framework and producing a public-facing open data inventory by early 2026. This next phase will also expand engagement with Portlanders to ensure the City's approach to surveillance technology reflects community values of transparency, equity, and privacy.

Read the full report below to explore what surveillance technologies City bureaus use and how Portland is working to increase transparency and accountability.

To bolster transparency and public access, the City is sharing the data collected during Phase I of the Surveillance Technologies Inventory. The downloadable Excel files below include bureau-reported information about the types of surveillance technologies in use, their primary purposes, and management details.