Reader: What the Flock? These Cameras Are Such an Invasion of Privacy!

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s extension of the city’s contract for Flock Safety cameras, which use artificial intelligence to track and collect data by surveilling cars, keeps drawing criticism from residents, including members of Denver City Council.

“These are not our grandparents’ mass surveillance technology. This is so different,” Councilwoman Sarah Parady said at an October 22 town hall that attracted hundreds of outraged citizens. “If these were just cameras that were taking photos of all our plates and putting them in some database without the AI that has the capacity to read the plates, recognize the vehicles and fetch it all, that would still have horrified people in the 1960s.”

Denver first installed 111 Flock cameras at seventy spots throughout the city in May 2024. They have become an increasingly hot topic — as has the way Johnston extended their contract. In their comments on the Westword Facebook post of Bennito Kelty’s story on the town hall, readers make it clear they’re keeping their eye on Flock…and Johnston. Says Susan:

What the flock? These cameras are such an invasion of privacy! This is not the Denver I know.

Notes Steven:

Council voted 12-0 to turn it down, and then the mayor pushed it through anyway for just under 500k in funding, because that’s the magic number for needing to vote on it for approval…

Offers Frann:

Flock cameras have actually caught people who stole vehicles and many were recovered.

Adds Robert:

Yeah… the issue isn’t the law-abiding citizens with license plates, it’s the homicidal maniacs who are driving with the fake license plates that are dangerous.

Counters Michael:

Systems like LiveView Technologies (LVT) and Flock Safety already collect vast amounts of visual and location data through high-resolution cameras, license-plate readers and behavioral analytics. With relatively minor software upgrades or integrations, these platforms could be extended to include facial recognition—matching faces to identity databases — and geo-fencing, defining virtual boundaries that track individuals’ movements within and between spaces.

Combined, these features could create a detailed behavioral map of a person’s habits: when and where they park, shop, or linger; who they’re with; and how often they visit specific locations. While such data could enhance safety and deter crime, it also raises profound privacy and civil-liberty concerns, effectively turning ordinary parking lots into nodes in a broader surveillance network.

Be wary…

Concludes Red:

Someone needs to read 1984 and Animal Farm…..

What do you think of Flock cameras? How Mayor Johnston extended the contract? Post a comment or share your thoughts at editorial@westword.com.