Denver, CO

The Denver City Council voted 12-0 to reject a $666,000 contract extension with Flock Safety that would have continued operating more than 100 automated license plate reader cameras across the city. Mayor Mike Johnston urged the council to reject the extension and instead convene a task force to study the privacy issues residents had raised.

What moved this decision

Resident privacy concerns about the ALPR program
Mayor Johnston’s own request that council reject the extension
Revelations the vendor could share data with federal immigration authorities
ACLU of Colorado campaign to end the contract

What happened afterwards

The unanimous rejection did not end the program. In October 2025 Mayor Johnston announced a short-term extension with Flock anyway, drawing public outrage over overriding the council's unanimous vote. The city announced in February 2026 it would not renew; all 110 Flock cameras were decommissioned and removed as the contract expired on 2026-03-31. Denver then replaced rather than abandoned the capability: in late March 2026 the council approved a one-year, $150,000 Axon contract for 50 fixed ALPR cameras by a 7-6 margin, with Council President Amanda Sandoval casting the tiebreaking vote and objecting that a $150,000 contract should not have come to council at all. The ACLU of Colorado opposed the Axon deal. Privately owned Flock cameras in Denver kept running; police said they have no direct access to those systems.

What we still don’t know

These are the records we would need to describe this decision completely. If you can help obtain them, or already have them, get in touch.

Exact date of the March 2026 Axon contract vote not confirmed
Whether the mayor's October 2025 short-term extension required or received council approval