# Denver City Council members raise privacy concerns over Flock surveillance cameras
# CBS Colorado — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_y440VqI7Q

ALL RIGHT, KELLY, THANK YOU.
MOVING ON TO SURVEILLANCE
CAMERAS. THEY'VE BECOME THE
CENTER OF A FIGHT AMONG DENVER
CITY LEADERS. MAYOR JOHNSON
PLANS TO EXTEND THE CONTRACT
FOR THOSE CAMERAS, EVEN AFTER
CITY COUNCIL VOTED AGAINST IT.
YOUR REPORTER IN DENVER,
JASMINE ARENAS, SPOKE TO CITY.
SOME CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO
SAY THEIR CONCERNS ARE NOT
BEING ADDRESSED.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE FOR CITY
COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY
MEMBERS STILL LIES AROUND DATA
PRIVACY AND TRANSPARENCY
CONCERNS. FOR THE FIRST TIME,
DENVER COUNCIL MEMBERS GATHERED
TO ADDRESS THE MAYOR'S PLAN TO
MOVE FORWARD WITH THE FLOCK
CAMERA SYSTEM IN DENVER.
DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE
WITHOUT ANY KIND OF
COLLABORATION. TRUE
COLLABORATION.
MANY STILL FEELING LIKE THEY
AND THE COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN
LEFT IN THE DARK BY THE MAYOR'S
DECISIONS.
THE TASK FORCE WAS NEVER
EVEN TOLD ABOUT THOSE POTENTIAL
TERMS, SO TASK FORCE MEMBERS
WOULD HAVE HEARD ABOUT IT. NOW
FROM THE MEDIA.
THE MAYOR'S OFFICE SAYS HE
AGREED TO EXTENDING THE
CONTRACT BECAUSE FLOCK AGREED
TO CHANGES, INCLUDING A
$100,000 FINE FOR UNAUTHORIZED
DATA DISCLOSURE AND LIMITING
ACCESS ONLY TO DENVER POLICE.
DENVER POLICE CHIEF RON THOMAS
SAID THE SYSTEM IS AN ESSENTIAL
CRIME SOLVING TOOL.
YOU KNOW, AUTO THEFT WAS OUR
PRIMARY FOCUS FOR FOR THE
ULTIMATE 111 CAMERAS. AND WE
LOOKED AT NOT NECESSARILY JUST
WHERE AUTO THEFTS WERE
OCCURRING, BUT THE BUT THE
LOCATIONS OF EGRESS FROM THOSE
LOCATIONS.
TIM HOFFMAN IS THE MAYOR'S
DIRECTOR OF POLICY.
WE ARE ALWAYS WHEN IT COMES
TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PUBLIC
SAFETY, BALANCING THE VERY REAL
NEED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY IN THIS
CITY AGAINST THE CIVIL
LIBERTIES AND PRIVACY
CONSIDERATIONS OF ALL OF ITS
RESIDENTS.
COUNCIL MEMBERS ACKNOWLEDGED
THE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE
READERS PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE FOR
PUBLIC SAFETY AND HELPS CLOSE
STAFFING GAPS, BUT ADMITTED
THEY MAYBE HAVEN'T DONE ENOUGH
TO ADDRESS COMMUNITY CONCERNS.
WE DO NOT NEED TO REINVENT
THE WHEEL ON THIS, AND WHAT I
FEEL VERY FRUSTRATED ABOUT IS
THAT WE ARE HERE AT THE END OF
OCTOBER AND NOTHING HAS BEEN
DONE ABOUT THAT. SO WHETHER IT
IS COUNCIL WHO SHOULD DO THAT
OR WHETHER IT IS THE EXECUTIVE
BRANCH, POLICY DIVISION WHO
SHOULD DO THAT, I DON'T REALLY
CARE. SOMEONE DO IT. I AM OVER
THIS.
THE FLOCK SAFETY CONTRACT IS
SET TO EXPIRE IN 2026.
MEANWHILE, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TELL ME
THEY PLAN TO REVISIT IT WHILE
ALSO WORKING ON STRONGER