Resources
The sources behind the claims on this site, and the tools we use to check them. Where a publisher has a known leaning, we note it in a word or two; the label describes the organization, not the reliability of the specific article.
On license plate readers, the libertarian right and the civil liberties left have ended up in nearly the same place, and the Institute for Justice and the ACLU filed on the same side in the Norfolk appeal. For the case in favor of the cameras, we include The Atlantic's August 2026 essay (a center-left magazine). If you only read one section, read Colorado law, then check your own city's transparency portal.
Some online claims about these cameras are exaggerated or made up. 404 Media found anti-Flock influencers fabricating cease-and-desist letters. Check the primary record, including ours, before amplifying a claim.
Colorado law and records
- SB26-070, the PEEPS Act: bill page, text, and fiscal notes
Colorado General Assembly · government · 2026 session
The warrant bill. Status: Lost.
- SB26-071: oversight companion bill
Colorado General Assembly · government · 2026 session
Postponed indefinitely, 6-1.
- HB26-1037: ban on government purchase of personal data
Colorado General Assembly · government · 2026 session
Died 6-5 in House Judiciary.
- SB25-276, signed act
Colorado General Assembly · government · 2025-05-23
Extends the immigration data-sharing bar to cities, counties, and their vendors.
- Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 24
Office of Legislative Legal Services · government · 2024 edition
Sections 24-72-113 (retention) and 24-74-102(1) (a plate number is personal identifying information).
- Attorney General lawsuit against a Mesa County deputy over sharing a plate number with federal immigration officers
Colorado Attorney General · government · 2025-07-22
- In Detail: Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR)
Colorado Division of Criminal Justice, Office of Research and Statistics · state agency · May 2024
The state's own explainer and grant-funding picture. It calls plate data anonymous; compare C.R.S. 24-74-102(1) above, which lists a license plate number as personal identifying information.
- Template guide for funding ALPR: standards and requirements
Colorado Automobile Theft Prevention Authority · government · 2023-09-14
The closest thing Colorado has to a statewide standard, attached to grant money rather than law.
- Public records request template
Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition · nonpartisan
- Tip sheet: getting information from criminal justice records
Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition · nonpartisan · 2021
Why a request for plate data goes to the CCJRA and can be refused.
- Are Flock camera images of your own vehicle available under Colorado public records laws?
Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition · nonpartisan · 2026-08-12
- Guide to Colorado's open records and open meetings laws
Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition · nonpartisan
- Open meeting requirements of the Colorado Sunshine Law
Office of Legislative Legal Services · government
Your right to attend and to speak.
- Open Government Guide: Colorado
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press · nonpartisan
Colorado reporting and advocacy
- Flock camera, police, Colorado, Columbine Valley
The Colorado Sun · nonprofit, center-left · 2025-10-28
The original reporting on the wrongful package-theft accusation.
- Cop used Flock to wrongfully accuse a woman, then refused to look at evidence that exonerated her, body camera shows
404 Media · independent tech journalism · 2026-01-14
- Flock cameras lead Colorado police to wrong suspect
CBS News Colorado · network news · 2026-01-14
- Have Denver's Flock cameras been used for immigration enforcement?
The Colorado Sun / Gigafact · nonprofit, center-left · 2026-02-06
- Are Flock and Palantir both owned by billionaire Peter Thiel?
The Colorado Sun / Gigafact · nonprofit, center-left · 2026-02-13
Answer: no.
- As AI license plate readers spread across Colorado, grassroots movements push back
The Colorado Sun · nonprofit, center-left · 2026-04-27
- Senate Bill 70 and Colorado surveillance technology
The Colorado Sun · nonprofit, center-left · 2026-04-21
- Amabile pulls Colorado bill limiting Flock and other license plate readers
Boulder Reporting Lab · local nonprofit · 2026-04-30
- License plate reader bill clears Senate committee
Complete Colorado (Independence Institute) · free-market, center-right · 2026-02-25
- Meaningful guardrails needed on Flock surveillance systems
Complete Colorado (Independence Institute) · free-market, center-right · 2026-07-17
- Colorado lawmakers killed two bipartisan surveillance bills in April 2026
Kim Monson Newsroom · conservative · 2026-08-20
- Boulder, Lafayette keep 30-day retention after Flock's 7-day default
Kim Monson Newsroom · conservative · 2026-08-18
- Denver ends contract with license plate camera vendor Flock
Colorado Politics · Clarity Media, center-right · 2026-02-24
- Colorado can't afford to turn its back on proven public safety technology (guest column)
Colorado Politics · Clarity Media, center-right; opinion · 2026-07-31
The case for the cameras, from a Colorado author.
- Crime fighter or mass surveillance?
CBS News Colorado · network news · 2025-09-22
Which Colorado agencies share nationwide, and which refused to say.
- Are you part of the Flock? How cities across the Denver area use AI tracking tech
Westword · alt-weekly, left-leaning · 2026-03-02
- Coalition statement on use of Flock cameras for ICE surveillance, with the Denver audit logs attached
ACLU of Colorado · civil liberties, left-leaning · 2025-08-11
- Boulder is putting mass surveillance technology before civil liberties
ACLU of Colorado · civil liberties, left-leaning · 2026-08-12
- Purplish: What the 'Flock' are you looking at? License plate readers and mass surveillance
Colorado Public Radio / KUNC · public media · 2026-03-13
Podcast episode.
- HOW IT WORKS: License Plate Readers
Denver Police Department · government agency · 2016-01-13
A Colorado agency making its own case. Ten years old; predates networked sharing.
National organizations, across the spectrum
- The IJ Database of ALPR Abuse
Institute for Justice · libertarian · 2026-08-12
More than 100 documented incidents.
- Schmidt v. City of Norfolk case page
Institute for Justice · libertarian
- She spent 7 months in legal hell after cops used Flock surveillance to identify the wrong car
Reason · libertarian · 2026-08-13
- Flock Safety's new privacy rules do little to ease concerns over ALPR surveillance
Reason · libertarian · 2026-08-14
- Georgia has arrested at least 20 officials for misusing the Flock surveillance database
Reason · libertarian · 2026-07-31
- Kansas lawsuit: ALPRs turn a license plate into the "functional equivalent" of a GPS tracking device
Reason · libertarian · 2026-07-31
- Flock public backlash explodes over mass surveillance cameras
Washington Times · conservative · 2026-07-02
- Schmidt v. City of Norfolk amicus brief
Cato Institute · libertarian · 2026-04-20
- Forget the singularity: universal AI surveillance is here
R Street Institute · free-market, center-right · 2026-08-03
- Get The Flock Out (campaign hub)
ACLU · civil liberties, left-leaning · updated 2026-08-20
- Get The Flock Out Toolkit
ACLU · civil liberties, left-leaning · 2026
Step-by-step local advocacy, including questions to ask council and an email template.
- Despite 'New' Updates, Flock's Creepy Cameras Remain Major Civil Liberties Threat
ACLU · civil liberties, left-leaning · 2026-08-13
- Flock Safety credibility lost as it repeatedly lies to city councils, police departments, and public
ACLU · civil liberties, left-leaning · 2026-07-02
- License plate readings shouldn't be public data
ACLU · civil liberties, left-leaning · 2026
The ACLU’s own limit on records requests: logs yes, raw plate data no.
- Automated License Plate Readers (Street Level Surveillance)
Electronic Frontier Foundation · digital rights, nonpartisan
The field guide.
- Are your local police using Flock Safety ALPRs to scan for immigrants?
Electronic Frontier Foundation · digital rights, nonpartisan · 2026-06-25
Includes a method for checking your own agency.
- Too little, too late: Flock admits their technology needs reforms
Electronic Frontier Foundation · digital rights, nonpartisan · 2026-08-13
- Spot the Surveillance
Electronic Frontier Foundation · digital rights, nonpartisan
Trains your eye to recognize surveillance hardware.
- Automatic license plate readers: legal status and policy recommendations for law enforcement use
Brennan Center for Justice · progressive legal · 2020-09-10
The case for the cameras
A nonpartisan site should link the strongest arguments on the other side.
- In defense of Flock
The Atlantic · center-left magazine · 2026-08-10
- Can a camera on every corner make us safer? (Garrett Langley, Flock CEO)
TED · speaker is the vendor’s CEO · 2026-07-17
- Flock updates privacy, accountability, security, and transparency safeguards
Flock Safety · vendor · 2026-08-13
- Does Flock share data with ICE?
Flock Safety · vendor · revised 2026-07-24
The company’s own dated timeline of federal pilots and what it changed.
- Independent study: vehicle thefts fell 11% after Flock cameras went live
Flock Safety · vendor · 2026-08-24
- How many crimes has Flock Safety solved in Cleveland?
GovTech / cleveland.com · centrist · 2026-07-28
A prosecutor’s full pro-ALPR case alongside a police department that says it cannot measure the tool.
- A multi-site evaluation of automated license plate readers
National Policing Institute · police research organization
Investigative reporting
404 Media has covered this company more closely than anyone. Its Flock tag is the place to start; a few pieces are pulled out below.
- Flock tag (all coverage)
404 Media · independent tech journalism
- Cities are ditching Flock, immediately replacing it with Axon license plate readers
404 Media · independent tech journalism · 2026-08-06
- 'Own the narrative': leaked Flock guide shows how it teaches cops to promote its tech
404 Media · independent tech journalism · 2026-08-03
- How cops use Flock to track people, not cars
404 Media · independent tech journalism · 2026-07-16
- The rise of anti-Flock influencers who make things up for clout
404 Media · independent tech journalism · 2026-07-23
- LAPD regularly pulled over innocent people because license plate readers flagged their cars as stolen
404 Media · independent tech journalism · 2026-07-13
- Flock leaked cops' license plate searches via DuckDuckGo, Bing
404 Media · independent tech journalism · 2026-06-11
- Wildlife Conservation Police Are Searching Thousands of Flock Cameras for ICE
404 Media · independent tech journalism · 2026-04-06
- Flock uses overseas gig workers to build its surveillance AI
404 Media · independent tech journalism · 2025-12-01
- Flock exposed its AI-powered cameras to the internet. We tracked ourselves
404 Media · independent tech journalism · 2025-12-22
- Let's talk about the Flock study that says it solves crime
404 Media · independent tech journalism · 2024-03-20
- Flock camera misread license plates: Roseville police
Business Insider · mainstream · 2026-07-31
- Inside the growing police use and misuse of Flock’s license-plate reader cameras
CNN · centrist · 2026-07-26
- Flock fallout: competitors see opportunity
NPR · public radio · 2026-08-22
- Senator Wyden and Rep. Krishnamoorthi letter to the FTC on Flock’s cybersecurity
U.S. Senate · primary document · 2025-11-03
Court documents and primary records
- Chatrie v. United States, No. 25-112, slip opinion
Supreme Court of the United States · primary · 2026-06-29
Geofence warrants. Does not mention license plate readers.
- Schmidt v. City of Norfolk, district court opinion
E.D. Va. via Courthouse News · primary · 2026-01-27
- Schmidt v. Norfolk amicus brief supporting reversal
EFF, ACLU, ACLU of Virginia · primary · 2026-04-20
- ACLU and EFF sue a city blanketed with Flock surveillance cameras (San Jose)
404 Media · independent tech journalism · 2025-11-18
- Denver ALPR network search audit logs (file 4 of 4)
Denver Police Department record, hosted by ACLU of Colorado · primary · released 2025-07-23
- LAPD Office of the Inspector General, review of the ALPR system (BPC #26-184)
Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners · primary · 2026-07-10
- Arvada PD Policy Manual 460, Automated License Plate Readers
Arvada Police Department · primary · effective 2025-06-11
- Arvada Flock Safety order form
City of Arvada and Flock Safety · primary · 2023-03-28
- Firestone PD Flock LPR camera utilization plan
Town of Firestone · primary · updated November 2025
- Durango "Protect Our Privacy Ordinance" draft
DeFlock Durango · community project · 2026-04-06
- Washington SB 6002 session law
Washington State Legislature · primary · effective 2026-03-30
A 2026 state statute regulating automated license plate reader systems, for comparison with SB26-070.
Studies
- Automated license plate readers, vehicle theft, and clearance (working paper)
Mourtgos and Adams, University of South Carolina · preprint, not peer-reviewed · 2026-08-16
Motor vehicle theft fell 11% across 216 agencies; other property crime not distinguishable from zero.
- License plate reader police patrols in crime hot spots: an experimental evaluation
Lum, Hibdon, Cave, Koper, and Merola, Journal of Experimental Criminology · peer-reviewed · 2011
- License plate recognition technology: impact evaluation and community assessment
George Mason University CEBCP for NIJ · government-funded · 2010
- The impacts of large-scale license plate reader deployment on criminal investigations
Koper and Lum, Police Quarterly · peer-reviewed · 2019
- An evaluation of a major expansion in automated license plate reader technology
Shjarback and Sarkos, Justice Evaluation Journal · peer-reviewed; co-authored by the evaluated police department · 2025
- License plate recognition technology as a crime deterrent (program profile)
NIJ CrimeSolutions, U.S. Department of Justice · government · 2013
Rated Ineffective. Page no longer updated.
Video and podcasts
- Police say Flock cameras help solve crimes, but critics call them an invasion of privacy
PBS NewsHour · public media · 2026-07-15
- Flock cameras are illegal (maybe)
LegalEagle · independent creator · 2026-08-20
- How Flock camera defenders are missing the point
Reason TV · libertarian · 2026-08-11
- This Flock camera leak is like Netflix for stalkers
Benn Jordan · independent creator · 2025-12-22
- The open source project tracking ALPR surveillance (DeFlock interview)
Techlore · privacy-focused · 2026-08-20
- Flock cameras face increased scrutiny as concerns grow over privacy
CBS Mornings · network news · 2026-08-17
- Why Flock is dividing America
Proton · privacy company · 2026-08-19
- How license plate readers are normalizing mass surveillance
EFFector podcast · digital rights, nonpartisan · 2026-04-08
- Flock came to my town. Here's what I did
The 404 Media Podcast · independent tech journalism · 2026-07-29
- Why Flock license plate readers are so controversial
Bay Curious (KQED) · public media · 2026-08-20
Tools and maps
- DeFlock map
DeFlock · community project
Crowd-mapped cameras. The Network view shows which agencies share with which.
- Report a camera
DeFlock · community project
- Local groups
DeFlock · community project
- alpr.watch
independent · community project
Upcoming local government meetings where plate readers are on the agenda.
- Are You Flocked? Colorado
independent · community records project
Per-agency pages with an explicit "not publicly verified" standard.
- Who Approved This: Colorado contracts
records project · records project
- Finding Flock: contract cancellations
records project · records project
- Have I Been Flocked? Police departments
independent · community project
- Have I Been Flocked? Transparency portals
independent · community project
- Atlas of Surveillance
Electronic Frontier Foundation · digital rights, nonpartisan
- Flock transparency portals
Flock Safety · vendor
One page per agency: change the slug to your city, e.g. windsor-co-pd, arvada-co-pd, greeley-co-pd, firestone-co-pd, castle-rock-co-pd.
Model ordinances and policy templates
- General regulations: surveillance policy library
The Policing Project, NYU School of Law · law school, nonpartisan
- Cambridge Municipal Code Ch. 2.128 (surveillance technology ordinance)
City of Cambridge · adopted municipal law
- Seattle Municipal Code Ch. 14.18 and the city’s surveillance impact reports
City of Seattle · adopted municipal law
- Local ALPR privacy model bill
ACLU · civil liberties, left-leaning
- Model resolution for local Flock contract cancellation
ACLU · civil liberties, left-leaning · 2026-05-01
- Community Control Over Police Surveillance (CCOPS)
ACLU · civil liberties, left-leaning
Missing something, or found a dead link? Email volunteer@eyesoffcolorado.org.