Fort Collins residents urge council to curb Flock camera program, with policy options due back June 2

Dozens of Fort Collins residents pressed City Council on Tuesday to end or sharply limit the city’s Flock Safety camera program, focusing their criticism on data retention, outside-agency access and broader privacy concerns. Council did not take a formal vote on the issue that night, instead signaling it wants staff to return June 2 with options on how long data should be kept and whether automatic data-sharing with outside agencies should continue.

Mayor Emily Francis said during other business that the city was already working on two related steps following the previous week’s work session on automated license plate readers. One is bringing forward updates to the scope of the Citizen Review Board so it can review audit logs, and the other is continuing work on surveillance technology governance policy.

Public comment on the issue was overwhelmingly critical of the Flock system. Jeff Ackerman, a District 2 resident, told council he was “really disheartened” the city was still debating the cameras and argued the devices collect much more than license plates, including vehicle details and images of pedestrians and bicyclists. He also challenged claims about who can access the footage.

Marge Norskog, also of District 2, said residents generally accept police body cameras and traffic cameras because those tools are governed by state law or city ordinance, but argued Flock cameras fell outside those existing rules when Fort Collins adopted them in 2022. She said the concern is not just individual cameras, but networked surveillance systems that can collect data about “the pattern of our lives” without clear oversight.

Danielle Melgat, a District 5 resident, urged council to think beyond “just a few cameras” and consider how separate surveillance tools can be combined into larger systems. Quoting criticism from outside Fort Collins, she said a network that stores and queries vehicle histories is “something categorically different” from a single camera checking for a stolen vehicle, and she urged the city to join other communities that have rejected Flock and similar systems.

Waleed Rahman, a District 1 resident, asked council to remove the cameras immediately until the city adopts a broader surveillance ordinance. He said officials should not rely on the argument that the system is currently legal, and instead should decide whether the technology aligns with community values.

The discussion came under Other Business Item 2, which had been listed as possible discussion and consideration of a motion directing staff on Flock Safety automated license plate readers. No motion was adopted Tuesday, but council’s request for more detailed options keeps the issue on the agenda for a future meeting.