Data from Flock Safety’s license plate readers across Denver revealed that immigration-related searches accessed the data over 1,400 times between June 2024 and April 2025. The audit logs, obtained by Newsline from the Denver Police Department, indicate that local law enforcement agencies, including Denver police, allowed these searches on their Flock data.
These searches were primarily conducted by out-of-state police departments, and Denver had initially permitted national searches from its 111 Flock cameras. In many cases, the reasons given for the searches included terms like “ICE” or “immigration,” indicating a focus on immigration matters. Notably, approximately 690 of these searches occurred after President Donald Trump took office in January.
The national search feature was disabled in April, driven by escalating concerns regarding immigration enforcement practices. Advocates within the community expressed their dismay at the findings of the audit logs. Katie Leonard, an organizer with the Denver Party for Socialism and Liberation, stated, “The logs confirm our worst fears,” and called for the city to terminate its contract with Flock.
Prior to Denver police disabling the national search feature, police departments from cities like Dallas and Jacksonville, Florida, conducted immigration-related searches of license plates captured by Denver’s Flock cameras. In response to these findings, a police spokesperson noted that entering “ICE” as a reason does not unequivocally signify intentions to enforce civil immigration law, emphasizing that searches may also relate to criminal investigations. It remains unclear whether any specific immigration enforcement actions can be directly linked to the 1,400 searches conducted.
The Flock cameras, which were installed in May 2024, have reportedly played a significant role in lowering auto theft rates and other crimes; according to the Denver police, they contributed to 289 arrests. Despite this, civil liberties advocates, including the ACLU Colorado, argue that the benefits of using these cameras do not justify the threats to privacy and the rights of immigrants. The organization has raised concerns about the use of surveillance technologies particularly in light of the aggressive immigrant enforcement strategies implemented during President Trump’s administration.
Anaya Robinson, public policy director of ACLU Colorado, highlighted the broader implications of Flock’s surveillance framework, indicating that it establishes a nationwide network of monitoring. “The root of the concern really is that Flock, because of the way that they allow sharing data, are building out this nationwide network of surveillance,” she said. This raises significant apprehensions about individuals’ rights to privacy and freedom from being tracked by law enforcement.
In May, the Denver City Council unanimously voted against a $666,000 contract extension with Flock; however, following the council’s rejection, Mayor Mike Johnston executed a contract extension independently worth approximately $499,000. This decision fell below the $500,000 threshold that would necessitate council approval, thus bypassing council oversight. Johnson defended his actions, describing the cameras as crucial for crime reduction and maintaining the importance of transparency with the public and city officials.
However, Denver City Council member Sarah Parady expressed alarm over the handling of the contract renewal, suggesting it could have been structured to avoid council scrutiny. She remarked, “I am just flabbergasted that we allowed these cameras to keep running in the city with not even a contract in place.”
The cameras are reported to capture around 2 million license plate images monthly. Colorado law enforcement agencies maintain the ability to search data collected from Denver’s Flock cameras. Parady emphasized that while the current focus is on deportations, concerns related to the potential misuse of surveillance data remain pressing. “There are all kinds of ways that you can abuse surveillance data, and even blocking the ability to search for, say, immigration, just doesn’t put my mind at ease in any way,” she noted.
In an unrelated incident, the Loveland Police Department was reported to have permitted an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to utilize its Flock data for six searches on behalf of ICE. Colorado state laws prohibit local law enforcement agencies and state organizations from collaborating with ICE or sharing personal information with federal immigration authorities. While the Denver audit logs showed no evidence of potential violations of state laws by Colorado police departments using Denver PD data, a spokesperson for the department asserted that they would take decisive actions should such violations arise.
Holly Beilin, a spokesperson for Flock Safety, defended the company’s operations by stating that it is feasible to balance public safety initiatives with privacy protections. She noted that the audit logs provide a level of transparency that enables the community and the Denver PD to assess the implications of the national lookup feature, which was ultimately disabled.
Despite the removal of the national search tool, advocates in Denver continue to raise alarms regarding privacy and civil liberties. License plate images collected by the cameras are retained for a duration of 30 days, and advocates like Leonard claim that this information retention poses a significant threat to the rights of residents in Colorado. She stated, “We’ve been sounding the alarm about how serious the threats are that Flock poses to the safety and constitutional rights of all types of working class people, especially under the Trump administration.”
Leonard concluded that the ongoing operations of these cameras are detrimental and emphasized the need to turn them off to protect the community from potential infringements on rights. The overarching discourse regarding the use of Flock cameras and the sharing of license plate data in Denver continues to unfold, amid increasing scrutiny and public debate.
image source from：kunc
