At a Feb. 24 Fort Collins City Council work session, officials examined the city’s use of Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras, a technology that has sparked both praise from law enforcement and concern from residents about privacy, data use and corporate oversight.

The discussion, which lasted over an hour and drew significant public interest, was part of a broader agenda that also included updates on city noise ordinance proposals and a major College Avenue infrastructure project. 

Fort Collins Police Services Chief Jeff Swoboda opened the presentation by emphasizing that public trust is central to any policing tool.

“Any endeavor inside a police department can really only move at the speed of trust,” Swoboda said. “Anything that we are trying to accomplish needs to have the community’s support in order for it to be successful.”

Swoboda also acknowledged the weight of the choice before the council.

“If you’re not wrestling with this decision, you’re not asking yourself the right questions,” Swoboda said.

Deputy Chief of Police Greg Yeager explained that Flock is not facial recognition software and does not identify drivers or vehicle owners. Instead, it captures still images of license plates and vehicle characteristics, comparing them in law-enforcement databases for vehicles linked to crimes or safety alerts, such as Amber or Silver Alerts.

The system functions as what Yeager called a “shoulder tap” for officers, a notification that a passing vehicle might match one sought in an investigation. Officers must still verify the information and establish legal justification before taking action.

Fort Collins currently operates 14 cameras, primarily placed along major routes entering and leaving the city and in high-traffic corridors. The images are stored on secure servers for 30 days and then automatically deleted on a rolling basis.

Assistant Chief of Patrol Adam McCambridge highlighted recent cases in which the system helped locate a missing elderly woman, identify a kidnapping suspect’s vehicle and track down a hit-and-run driver using a partial license plate number. He said such tools allow officers to narrow search areas quickly rather than have to scan large regions without direction. 

“I think the more powerful a tool is, the bigger the consequences are if it’s misused or if mistakes are made,” said Julie Pignataro, Fort Collins mayor pro tem and a council member for district 2.

Despite the examples, council members pressed law enforcement officials on potential risks, including cybersecurity, misuse and how other agencies might access Fort Collins data.

“I’m worried we’re going to lose the trust of the community that we built over a long time and that Flock itself is just too far gone at this point in terms of their trustworthiness,” said Chris Conway, a council member for District 1.

Conway wasn’t alone in questioning Flock’s track record.

“Flock as a company has demonstrated enough vulnerabilities … that I’m just not comfortable putting our own citizens at risk from that,” Pignataro said. 

Council members also asked what may happen if another law enforcement agency accessed Fort Collins’ camera data.

Law enforcement officials said only Colorado agencies can be granted permission; each request is logged, and supervisors audit usage. If misuse were discovered, access could be revoked, and the agency involved could face legal consequences. Swoboda also acknowledged concerns of federal agencies using the information. 

“If we get an inkling that the federal government is starting to demand our information … nobody will sound the alarm bells louder than myself or my team,” Swoboda said. “I think it would be a race to unplug the machine as quick as we could if that starts happening.”

Some questions remained unanswered during the session, including the number of external searches conducted by other departments. Several council members said their main hesitation was not necessarily local police use but the private company behind the technology. 

“I have so much trust in Fort Collins Police,” Pignataro said. “I do not have quite as much trust in our federal government at this point. Because of the way Flock chose to respond last fall to some of the questions about their security, I have zero trust in them. There is also no question in my mind that this has helped you solve crimes and possibly save lives. And so, both these things can be true.”

The contract currently requires the company to remove hardware within a reasonable timeframe if the agreement ends. City attorneys said federal agencies cannot access the data unless state law permits it, and any contract breach could trigger legal action.

Council members also clarified that no decisions were being made at the work session. Formal direction would occur later at a regular council meeting if members choose to pursue changes, discontinue the program or explore alternative vendors.

District 5 Councilmember Amy Hoeven said the strong turnout and correspondence from residents, including many Colorado State University students, helped shape the discussion, saying the session was an opportunity for the council to relay community questions directly to technical experts.

“I can’t stress enough how important students are, and participating like they have been is just huge,” Hoeven said. “So thank you.”

Hoeven said the city’s broader priorities currently focus on affordability, economic vitality, transportation safety and environmental sustainability, but she emphasized that technological oversight fits into those goals because public trust underpins effective governance.

Hoeven encouraged students to stay involved, noting that council members track public comments and want to hear from residents.

“You live here,” Hoeven said. “You are a community member, and it matters.”

For now, the Flock system remains in use while officials gather more information. With a possible contract renewal later this year, the issue is likely to return for further debate, in which council members indicated they will continue to balance public safety benefits against privacy concerns.

“We take the balance between the privacy and the community service very seriously,” Yeager said. “And so you will see as we go, we have different ways to audit these tools and programs and to show some accountability with it.”

Reach Maci Lesh at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.