DENVER — On the same day that Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced a five-month extension of the city's contract with license plate camera maker Flock Group, Inc., community members demanded their removal from intersections across Denver.
Flock cameras were installed in Denver in May 2024, and there are now more than 100 cameras mounted at 70 intersections across the city.
The Denver Police Department has credited the license plate readers for hundreds of arrests and recovered stolen vehicles, as well as the recovery of dozens of firearms. But at a packed community meeting Wednesday night, residents called for the city to "De-Flock Denver" and for the mayor to include the community in conversations about the future of the cameras.
John McKinney, president of the East Colfax Neighborhood Association, told the packed crowd he has a simple message for Mayor Johnston.
"Quit doing this behind closed doors and come out and debate us in the public forum, you f—-ing p—y!," said McKinney.
The gathering brought together several registered neighborhood associations (RNOs) against the use of Flock.
This meeting came on the same day Johnston announced new privacy protections for the cameras, stating that only Denver police officers can access Denver's camera data.
"No federal agency of any sort, no federal employee of any sort will have access to Denver's data," Johnston told Denver7 Investigates.
Under the updated contract, other Colorado law enforcement agencies can access the information only if they sign agreements promising not to share data with federal agencies. An agency that signs the agreement and violates it will be subject to prosecution by the Colorado Attorney General's Office.
Flock will pay a $100,000 fine for any instance in which it shares data with the federal government, according to the city.
Denver
Denver bans sharing of Flock camera data with the federal government
McKinney dismissed these safeguards as insufficient protection.
"It's very weak regulation," McKinney said.
Johnston acknowledged in his interview Wednesday that he cannot satisfy all critics but defended the program's effectiveness in reducing auto theft and solving murders.
"For folks who are never going to ideologically believe in any use of a camera system in the country, we won't find common ground on that idea," Johnston said.
- Watch our full interview with Denver Mayor Mike Johnston below
Denver City Council members who attended the town hall said they were not involved in the mayor's contract decision with the company. Councilwoman Shontel Lewis publicly criticized Johnston Wednesday night.
"I want to say that it's important for you all to identify the kings in the castle in the cities in which you all live," said Lewis. "And the mayor is one of those."
The heated debate over license plate reader cameras is expected to continue in the coming months. Denver7 will continue to stay on top of this issue.
