Denver's web of license-plate reading cameras is still silently documenting drivers across the city, even though the latest agreement to keep them running does not appear to be fully signed. The cameras are on, the paperwork is not, and the gap has reignited long-simmering questions about transparency after the mayor sidestepped a City Council vote to extend the system.
Documents and public statements show that the extension authorized by Mayor Mike Johnston is missing a key signature, yet the Flock cameras remain live, according to 9News. Those records indicate the deal was announced without going through the normal City Council approval process.
How the deal was approved
In October, Mayor Johnston announced what his administration described as a no-cost extension that keeps the Flock cameras operating through March 31, and said the company had agreed to new Denver-specific safeguards. City officials later told reporters those changes have not yet been written into a signed contract. Denverite reports that the mayor's office says Flock verbally agreed to the terms and has framed the extension as a pause meant to build stronger guardrails.
Council pushback and audit review
Nine Denver City Council members have asked Auditor Tim O'Brien to scrutinize the extension and consider trying to block it, arguing that the administration may have dodged council oversight, CBS Colorado reported. O'Brien told reporters he would conduct due diligence and examine whether the contract was deliberately split up to get around a council vote that otherwise would have been required.
What the cameras record
The city has deployed more than 100 solar-powered Flock cameras at roughly 70 locations. Together, they capture an estimated 2 million license plates each month and have generated hundreds of investigative leads for Denver Police, according to Colorado Politics. The City Council's earlier skepticism about the system culminated in a May vote to reject a longer paid extension over privacy concerns, as per Hoodline.
Privacy concerns and past access
Audit logs obtained by Newsline show that Denver's Flock data was used in immigration-related national searches more than 1,400 times between June 2024 and April 2025, an activity that helped prompt the city to shut off the national-search function in April. KUNC/Colorado Newsline reported that many of the search entries listed reasons such as "ICE" or "immigration."
Legal implications
Legal questions now focus on whether city contracting rules were sidestepped, and on what penalties or remedies Denver can actually enforce if Flock strays from the unfinalized terms. The Denver Gazette detailed that the administration linked penalties, including up to $100,000 in damages, to any improper release of data, and pitched the extension as a temporary, no-cost solution while a task force finishes its work.
City leaders say a longer-term contract will be brought back to the City Council once the task force and audits wrap up, and the mayor's office says outside agencies will need memoranda of understanding before they can access Denver's data. Denverite reports that the administration intends to present a written agreement for council approval before any future paid extension moves forward.
