Denver, CO
Denver will end relationship with Flock as mayor announces new provider for license plate cameras
Denver will end its contract with Flock Safety, the controversial provider of a network of license plate-reading cameras, and will propose a new deal with a competing company, Mayor Mike Johnston confirmed to The Denver Post.
After facing months of public criticism over the city’s relationship with Flock, the mayor’s office is proposing a new contract with Axon, which already provides other technology for the Denver Police Department.
Over the past year, hundreds of Denverites had criticized Johnston for repeatedly extending the city’s contract with Flock despite reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had used Flock’s database to aid in President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation campaign.
The company has also faced scrutiny of its nationwide camera system, which many critics is essentially a mass-surveillance network ripe for abuse.
“We feel like we heard from Denverites and we got feedback. And we have spent the last nine months listening to the community, working with City Council, working with privacy experts … and law enforcement on what people wanted from a system that would meet everyone’s concerns,” Johnson said in an exclusive interview with The Post.
When asked about his views on Flock, Johnston said he concerns had grown “over the course of the process” of working with the company and that, ultimately, it was “not the right fit.”
“It’s not whether I like them or dislike them. It’s a matter of whether they can deliver the service that we best need,” he said.
The proposed contract with Axon would have some differences with the one with Flock, he said. Axon doesn’t have a national database of any kind for local or federal law enforcement agencies to tap into. The new deal will also have a shorter retention policy for the photos the cameras snap — 21 days instead of 30 days under Flock.
“Axon has the single highest level of security protections,” Johnston said, while talking about all the companies that submitted bids. “It’s essentially the same standard used for storing people’s personal medical information.”
Axon will use the same database that it uses for Denver police officers’ body-worn camera footage, he said. The photos its new cameras will take will also focus only on vehicles and license plates, he said — not people’s faces. The company has also agreed not to give ICE access to the data.
“I understand there are some people who want no cameras at all,” he said. “The reality is, my job is both to protect civil liberties and to protect folks from crime and we have to find a middle ground on that.”
DPD used license plate data in about 40% of its homicide investigations last year and in about a third of the non-fatal shooting investigations, according to a city news release about the new contract. The cameras have also played a role in the recovery of more than 400 stolen cars.
Johnston said that in his conversations with residents, “very few to nearly none” of them said they didn’t want the city using cameras of any kind.
Denver also plans to stop sharing the camera data with any other police departments, Johnston said. Once the new system is in place, the city will begin inviting certain agencies in the surrounding area to use the data if they agree to set rules.
The city’s latest contract with Flock, which the mayor’s office unilaterally signed in October without council approval, will end March 31. The Axon contract, which will be for one year and cost $150,000, would begin immediately after.
While the new contract’s value will be below the $500,000 threshold that requires council approval, Johnston said his team would bring it through the council approval process anyway “to be extra transparent and extra collaborative.”
The council unanimously rejected a two-year contract with Flock last May, partly because the mayor’s office requested that it do so after hearing backlash from council members and the public. Johnston’s administration then twice extended the contract without council approval.
Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer supported the announcement in a statement included in the news release Tuesday.
“This technology makes a real difference in public safety,” she said. “I look forward to considering this contract with a fresh and fair assessment as it goes through the council process.”
Denver Auditor Tim O’Brien told city officials last week that he wouldn’t countersign the latest contract because, he said, it created a “risk of liability” for the city.
Under the latest extension, Johnston’s administration added new requirements to Flock’s contract that it said were intended to protect sensitive data.
The state legislature is now considering a bill that would block government agencies from using license plate data without a warrant.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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DENVER — Saturday will bring strong-to-severe thunderstorms across far northeastern Colorado this afternoon and evening.
The storms could produce large hail, strong winds, and lightning.
For the Denver metro and communities along the I-25 corridor, storm coverage is much lower.
Storm threat for northeastern Colorado Saturday; sunny and warmer Sunday
While a few showers and storms may still develop, many locations could remain dry for most of the day.
Saturday’s afternoon high will reach the upper 70s and lower 80s across the plains, with cooler conditions in the high country.
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Sunday will be calmer with the storm system moving away from our region.
Sunday will bring drier conditions statewide and plenty of sunshine with highs in the 80s.
There is a chance of isolated showers in the mountains.
Warmer temperatures are expected through the next week, with a chance of thunderstorms returning on Monday.
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DENVER WEATHER LINKS: Hourly forecast | Radars | Traffic | Weather Page | 24/7 Weather Stream
Click here to watch the Denver7 live weather stream.
DENVER (KDVR) — The last few days of May will be warm and mostly dry, but the Denver weather forecast does show a steady warming trend through the first week of June.
Highs on Saturday will be seasonal and mostly dry with a stray storm possible. Colorado will return to the low 80s on Sunday and will likely be dry across most of the state.
Denver weather tonight: Partly cloudy and mild
Skies will be partly cloudy overnight Friday. Any lingering showers will dissipate by midnight. Temperatures will remain slightly above normal with lows around Denver in the lower to middle 50s. Winds will be light from the south and southwest.
Denver weather Saturday: Seasonal and mostly sunny
Denver will see seasonally warm highs Saturday afternoon in the upper 70s, though the urban core may crack the lower 80s. An isolated storm or two may fire up in the afternoon north of Interstate 76 and the high country, but most of Colorado will remain dry.
Looking ahead: Warming to start June
Monday is the first day of June. Temperatures will be in the low 80s with a better chance for afternoon showers and storms. Winds will also be a bit breezy. The metro area will continue to warm Tuesday and Wednesday into the mid-80s. Both days have a chance for storms, but Tuesday will have a better setup for storms.
Denver will be drier the second half of the workweek as temperatures climb into the mid-80s. Next weekend may see highs back in the upper 80s. That’s not record-breaking, but quite warm for early June by about 10 degrees.
Von Miller has made it abundantly clear that he would like to return to the Denver Broncos and finish his career where it started. Miller has made that fact known at every possible opportunity, including a Von’s Vision charity event on Wednesday.
“I would love to bring back those Super Bowl 50 vibes, love to assist, to be the vice president to Bo Nix, to Courtland Sutton,” Miller said. “I’ve been the guy and also I’ve been the vice president as well. I would love to contribute to us getting back to the glory land, to holding up that trophy.”
Miller went on to note that he has lobbied coach Sean Payton to sign him (Payton coached Miller at a flag football tournament earlier this year).
Unfortunately for Miller, it sounds like there are no plans for a potential reunion with his old club. The Denver Post‘s Luca Evans reported that “as of last week,” there have been no talks between the Broncos and Miller’s representatives about a potential contract.
With a crowded outside linebacker room, Denver seems unlikely to re-sign Miller, but the 37-year-old pass rusher said he will “for sure” play in 2026. After totaling nine sacks with the Washington Commanders last fall, Miller will probably be able to find a home as a rotational pass rusher, but it might not be with the Broncos.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
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