Arapahoe County law enforcement leaders asked the Board of County Commissioners to extend and expand the county’s contract with Flock public-safety cameras, adding 17 cameras to an existing network that staff said already includes about 25 cameras.

Chief Kent McClellan of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office described operational benefits — including faster vehicle tracking for stolen-vehicle recovery, Amber Alerts and certain violent-crime investigations — and said permitting and equipment lead times make it important to begin the process now. “We would use seizure money to fund it,” Captain Burson said, describing the sheriff’s preferred fallback if a budget package or partner contributions are not available.

Nut graf: Commissioners scrutinized funding sources, data access, privacy protections and interjurisdictional sharing. Board members asked the sheriff to pursue forfeiture-board approval for initial costs, negotiate cost-sharing with the City of Centennial and the Cherry Creek School District where cameras are proposed, and to provide detailed policies on data retention, storage and third-party access before final signature in a formal contract.

During more than an hour of questions, commissioners and staff covered technical and policy points: how many cameras (17 additional), estimated installation and annual costs (installation about $62,500; additional annual operating costs up to $52,000; the sheriff’s office said total ongoing costs could reach roughly $127,000 depending on final scope), and timing (permitting and siting can take months; equipment build-out typically takes about 12 weeks after contract). The sheriff’s office said the program has used forfeiture funds in prior years (staff cited about $65,000 used in 2025 and a 2024 pilot funded from forfeiture).

On data use and privacy, Chief McClellan and Captain Burson said only authorized law-enforcement users with Flock access can query the system, and that Flock has a statewide filter that prevents the system from being used for immigration enforcement. “We don't do immigration's job,” Captain Burson said. He added that the vendor’s statewide filter removes cameras from any immigration-related searches. Commissioners asked how data are stored and for how long; staff said data are stored in the vendor’s system (described as a web-based/hosted “block” system) and estimated retention at roughly 30–60 days, and that the sheriff’s office would provide precise retention and storage details to the board by follow-up email.

Commissioner Jessica Campbell voiced privacy concerns and said she would vote no unless the board had clear cost-sharing and data safeguards in place. Commissioners Jeff Baker, Rhonda Fields and Carrie Warren Gully expressed support for moving forward; the board signaled support by a thumbs-up tally of 4 yes and 1 no. After discussion, staff said they would place the contract extension/expansion on the consent agenda and pursue forfeiture-board approval for initial costs and continue conversations with Centennial and the school district about long-term cost sharing. The sheriff’s office said it could cover initial implementation through existing forfeiture funds and would return with a more detailed funding plan for the county’s budget process.

Ending: The board’s thumbs-up advanced a negotiated, annual contract extension and an expansion plan to begin site confirmation and permitting. Commissioners asked the sheriff’s office to return with written details on data retention, storage location, sharing agreements and a proposed cost-sharing framework before final contractual commitments beyond the one-year term.