Durango residents propose ordinance to limit Flock cameras

DURANGO, Colo. — Durango residents drafted an ordinance that would limit how Flock license plate reader cameras operate in the city.

The proposal, officially introduced by City Council member Shirley Gonzales, would restrict how long recordings are stored, who can access them and when a warrant is required to review footage. 

License plate reader cameras capture images of passing vehicles and convert them into searchable data, including a vehicle’s license plate, make, color and type. Durango has 21 Flock cameras and has used the system since 2023.

In the past 30 days, the Durango Police Department received more than 1,800 real-time alerts and conducted 235 searches using the system.

Under the proposed ordinance, police would generally need a warrant to access stored data, except in emergencies or active investigations. Most data would be deleted after 72 hours unless tied to a specific case. Currently, data is stored for 30 days.

In practice, officers could still use the cameras to look for stolen vehicles or suspects, but they would not be able to search weeks of historical data without judicial approval.

The proposal would also limit data sharing. Outside agencies, including federal law enforcement, would need a court order to access Durango’s data.

“It was really the constituents who brought a proposed ordinance,” said Gonzales. “And that ordinance is really just very common sense requiring transparency into who is accessing the data.”

Flock cameras have been at the center of privacy and immigration debates. In Denver, public backlash about Flock’s privacy policies and its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement resulted in Mayor Mike Johnston ending the city’s partnership with the surveillance company. Similar protests inspired new policies and cancelled Flock contracts across the country, from Washington to Indiana.

In Columbine Valley, Colorado, a police officer used Flock footage from the neighboring town of Bow Mar to falsely accuse a woman of stealing a package. 

“You can’t get a breath of fresh air in or out of that place without us knowing,” the officer, Jamie Milliman, told the woman in reference to the surveillance technology. The woman, Chrisanna Elser, ultimately proved her own innocence.

Council member Gonzales, who comes from an immigrant family, said concerns about immigration enforcement also influenced her support of the proposal. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not have its own Flock contract, but the federal agency has broad access to the AI-powered license plate scanning cameras through cooperation from local police departments.

Between 2024 and 2025, police nationwide accessed Denver’s Flock camera data about 1,400 times for ICE or immigration-related searches.

“I think that’s really what has been the most alarming, is just not really knowing what the intended purpose is of all this data,” Gonzales said.

Durango police have pushed back on the proposal, saying the cameras have helped identify suspects and solve serious crimes. In a public statement, the department said the technology is effective and worried stricter limits could slow investigations.

Gonzales said the proposal is not meant to remove the cameras, but to set clearer rules.

“It should still allow the officers and the detectives to do their jobs,” she said.

The ordinance is still in its early stages. Gonzales first introduced the proposal April 7. At the next City Council meeting, scheduled for April 22, she will need support from at least two other council members to move it forward.