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Commerce City police outline $4.5M proposal to expand Flock Safety tools; council questions privacy, data sharing and funding
Summary
Chief presented a five‑year, $4.5M proposal to expand Flock Safety gunshot detection, LPRs, cameras, drones and real‑time crime tools citywide; the council pressed for stronger contract data safeguards, clarification on federal grant conditions, CJIS compliance and an explicit funding plan including URA and general fund contributions.
Commerce City Police Chief presented a proposal to expand the department’s partnership with Flock Safety across the city, outlining program results and a proposed funding package.
Chief described the department’s first‑year results inside a 3.5‑square‑mile pilot area: 528 gunfire incidents captured by gunshot detection, 36 recovered stolen vehicles, 11 firearms recovered, and increased NIBIN (ballistics) submissions. He said those operational outcomes had helped investigations and informed new canine and drone responses.
The expansion proposal would add citywide gunshot detection, more license‑plate readers, pan‑tilt‑zoom cameras, two advanced drones for the drone‑as‑first‑responder program, mobile camera trailers and a consolidated Nova search platform for the real‑time crime center. The chief said the five‑year cost is about $4.5 million (roughly $902,000 per year).
Finance staff outlined a funding plan that would combine existing budgeted status‑quo funds (IT), approximately $40,000 from the URA, use of federal forfeiture funds, and a draw on general‑fund balance for the remainder. The city finance director said about $600,000–$700,000 additional in FY‑2026 would be needed beyond current allocations.
Council members expressed concerns about privacy, secondary data sharing, and training and asked whether Flock or federal grant conditions could force broader sharing of data. Deputy City Attorney Durfee said the 2023 contract permits Flock to share certain retained footage with law enforcement while the city retains ownership; she recommended contracting changes to strengthen notice and review rights. Flock’s government affairs representative said Flock stores city data in cloud (AWS), maintains a 30‑day rolling deletion default, is CJIS‑compliant, and will negotiate contract language.
Next steps suggested by staff: (1) negotiate contract amendments to tighten data‑sharing and retention language, (2) prepare a resolution authorizing the city manager to negotiate a contract amendment or new contract with Flock, and (3) bring an ordinance or budget amendment to appropriate FY‑2026 funds if council elects to proceed.
What council asked for: stronger contractual assurances on secondary sharing and breach response, explicit CJIS and security documentation, officer training plans and metrics that tie program outcomes (e.g., NIBIN hits, vehicle recoveries) to costs. Several council members said they supported expansion in principle but wanted contractual and budgetary safeguards before committing funding.
