DENVER — The City and County of Denver is considering ditching Flock cameras and going with a new provider, according to a city spokesperson.
City spokesperson Jon Ewing told Denver7 Saturday that the city is fielding bids for another company to step in and operate Denver’s surveillance camera network, and that a new contract will go to the council in the coming weeks.
“The chosen provider will be weighed on several factors and will be required to comply with an exhaustive list of expectations regarding data retention, information sharing, and access limitations. This process is the result of months of collaboration between the Mayor’s Office, Council, privacy experts, and law enforcement, as well as community feedback. We look forward to submitting a contract for Council approval in the coming weeks and will announce a provider once selected,” Ewing said in a statement to Denver7.
Ewing declined to specify a reason as to why the city is considering the move away from Flock, which is the nation’s leading operator of automated license-plate reading systems.
However, the technology has been the center of controversy for city leaders and privacy advocates alike for years. But not everyone feels the same way.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has defended the system as an essential crime‑fighting tool.
“In Denver, we believe you can be a city that is just as tough on fighting crime as it is protecting someone’s civil liberties,” Johnston said in October after bypassing the city council and extending the city’s contract with Flock.
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