Fort Collins council votes 6-1 to shut off Flock cameras and end contract

The Fort Collins City Council voted Tuesday night to stop collecting Flock license-plate-reader data immediately and begin canceling the city’s contract for the camera system. The 6-1 vote also directed staff to remove the cameras as quickly as possible and not issue any new request for proposals for similar technology until the city completes a surveillance policy.

Mayor Emily Francis framed the action before making the motion, saying the city could “initiate contract cancellation immediately” even if staff needed a few days to determine when the termination would formally take effect. Francis then moved to direct staff to stop data collection right away, start the cancellation process, remove the cameras “as expeditiously as possible,” and hold off on any replacement procurement.

Mayor Pro Tem Julie Pignataro seconded the motion. After no further discussion, the council approved it on a roll-call vote, with Councilmember Chris Conway casting the lone no vote.

Item 29 was a follow-up to a May 12 work session on Flock data retention and sharing options. The police chief had told council the department had used the system for about 18 months and presented retention and data-sharing as the main policy questions, but several councilmembers concluded broader concerns about surveillance and public trust outweighed the tool’s benefits.

The motion goes beyond adjusting Flock’s operating rules. It orders the system shut off immediately, starts the process of ending the existing contract, and bars the city from seeking similar technology through a new RFP until the surveillance policy work is finished.