DENVER (KDVR) — Hundreds of people packed a town hall in Denver Wednesday night, sharing concerns about the city’s Flock camera contract.
“Then, in July, we learned through Denver audit logs that Denver’s Flock cameras have been accessed over 1,400 times, with the reason for search being Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” said one speaker.
The town hall involved leaders of five neighborhood organizations, including the Whittier Neighborhood Association, East Colfax Neighborhood Association and Villa Park Neighborhood Association. During the meeting, many called for the arrest of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
“The mayor announced this morning that he is, once again, unilaterally, without a public process or council vote, extending the city’s contract with ICE,” said a speaker with the Party for Socialism and Liberation – Denver.
Also present at the meeting was Tim Hoffman, director of policy in the Denver Mayor’s Office.
“I think there is a fundamental disagreement in that, yes, there are pictures being taken … but they are not being searched by anybody unless your car is suspected of being involved (in a crime),” Hoffman said during the meeting. “I want to be very clear that it is not the position of the mayor and the Mayor’s Office that you have no expectation of privacy when you enter a roadway.”
Hoffman’s statements were cut off with shouts of “prove it,” among others.
“I’ve made clear to Flock’s leadership that I expect total transparency and that anything less will result in an end to our relationship,” Johnston said in his announcement on Wednesday morning.
In May, the Denver City Council unanimously voted down a contract extension with Flock, citing privacy concerns and questioning who had access to Denver’s data as the city remains in the crosshairs of the Trump Administration due to so-called “sanctuary” rules. FOX31’s Nate Belt was also told in May that the mayor’s office had asked the council to vote down the contract renewal.
However, the mayor approved a contract extension in August that was just under the cost amount that needed a council vote, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado.
Johnston said Wednesday that new measures were added to the contract extension that include shutting out all access to city data to outside agencies without obtaining a memorandum of understanding, and a $100,000 fine for the technology company if or when data is shared with the federal government.
Other restrictions include allowing searches for a select number of crimes, and no searches that would relate to immigration or reproductive healthcare, the mayor’s office said Wednesday. The mayor’s office also said audits would be conducted to ensure no bad actors gain access.
However, attendees of the town hall on Wednesday night were not convinced. When statements were made asserting that the data would be kept private, shouts erupted from the crowd, saying that the assertions were not true.
Many asserted their opinion during the town hall that these measures will not be respected or followed, saying they are worried that the technology could still be used to track immigrants or individuals who come to the state to seek healthcare procedures, like abortions.
The Denver Police Department says that Flock cameras have led to over 350 arrests and the recovery of over 250 stolen vehicles.
Denver City Council Member Sarah Parady took to the internet on Wednesday, sharing her concerns about Johnston’s actions.
“Mayor Mike Johnston has announced a backroom deal with the CEO of Flock for several back-end changes to Denver’s Flock system that he thinks are sufficient to address concerns about the technology,” Parady wrote. “His administration is putting in place a 5 month, no-cost extension immediately, without public input or approval of the council.”
Parady was also at the town hall on Wednesday evening, which she said was to hear the community’s concerns about the mayor’s decision.
“I was stunned to learn late yesterday that after convening a task force of local and national experts, Mayor Johnston has been negotiating secretly with the discredited CEO of Flock safety and signing another unilateral extension of this mass surveillance contract with no public process and no vote from city council or input from his own task force,” Parady posted to Instagram.
She said that two million license plate images are captured in Denver each month and was released to “a massive national sharing network that included thousands of law enforcement agencies.” She said that Flock put Denver’s data onto the network without Denver’s or the Denver Police Department’s knowledge or permission.
Councilman Kevin Flynn said that the guardrails prove the city can boost safety while ensuring data is restricted. The new contract will last through March 2026.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
