Thornton residents press council over Flock camera data, security and immigration concerns

Dozens of Thornton residents pressed city leaders on Feb. 10 to slow or more tightly regulate a planned roll-out of Flock automatic license-plate reader (ALPR) cameras, citing security vulnerabilities, opaque data-sharing arrangements and potential harms to immigrant residents.

"Encryption is useless if access controls fail and post-hoc audits are not a replacement for security as a feature," said Jacob Wilson, an information-security professional, summarizing his independent analysis that he said showed Thornton PD data had been exposed and that audit logs point to account compromises. "When we don't store our data and retain the keys, then we can't prevent this from happening." (Jacob Wilson, public comment.)

Several residents told the council they had direct access-log evidence they said showed searches performed by agencies with ties to federal immigration enforcement. "We were told that the department trusts that their sharing settings eliminate federal agency sharing — but our audit logs show otherwise," said Meg Moore, who said she reviewed the department's audit records and court filings tied to a high-profile out-of-state case. "Running a system like this on trust and good vibes alone is a really irresponsible way to handle your constituents' data." (Meg Moore, public comment.)

Speakers also raised scale and third-party access concerns. Will Kercher noted that Thornton’s transparency page lists more than 1,600 law-enforcement agencies with access to shared Flock data, and warned that "tens of thousands of police logins" and hundreds of vendor employees increase the risk of credential theft or misuse. (Will Kercher, public comment.)

Some residents framed the issue as a civil-rights concern and questioned whether the system would chill immigrant communities. "Tax dollars are going to a system that costs $48,500 and targets vulnerable populations," Victor Mares said, urging the council to weigh community trust alongside crime-fighting benefits. (Victor Mares, public comment.)

Council members acknowledged the public-safety benefits residents described — Mayor Pro Tem Ayala and others pointed to a recent hit-and-run arrest they said involved ALPR evidence — but emphasized the need for governance. "We need checks and balances and oversight in general," Mayor Pro Tem Ayala said. "Only having one person in our police department overseeing some of those checks and balances is not sufficient." (Mayor Pro Tem Ayala, council comment.)

City staff previously presented the technology and vendor controls at a public meeting; on Feb. 10, several council members asked staff to return with additional information, including vendor alternatives, details on multi-user gatekeeping, audit staffing and measurable performance metrics. "This is not going to be a quick decision," Council member Alge said, urging further community engagement and analysis.

State-level legislation was also raised: a speaker referenced Senate Bill 26,070, a bill that would restrict government access to historical location databases and make historical location information non-public for Colorado Open Records Act purposes — a development some residents cited as evidence that broader policy protections are under consideration at the legislature. (Gabriel Cervantes, public comment.)

What happens next: council members repeatedly thanked residents for turnout and said staff and police would return with follow-up materials and options, and that the council would discuss the issue further at an April meeting and in upcoming planning sessions. No formal council action to adopt or reject Flock deployment occurred at the Feb. 10 meeting.