Grassroots Groups Challenge Colorado Law Enforcement Over Rapid AI License Plate Camera Expansion

Grassroots activists in Colorado warn that AI license plate readers from Flock Safety are creating a massive, unregulated surveillance network across the state.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 27, 2026, 10:30 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Colorado Sun

The Silent Rise of Suburban Surveillance

A quiet technological surge has transformed the Colorado landscape, as soda can sized cameras now occupy traffic poles from major highway exits in Firestone to residential corners in Golden. These devices, equipped with small solar panels and dark lenses, function as automated license plate readers that log the time, date, and precise location of every passing vehicle. According to Andrew Gentry, the founder of Eyes Off Colorado, many residents remain entirely unaware that this infrastructure has been integrated into their neighborhoods, often appearing under the guise of routine traffic upgrades.

A Growing Web of Law Enforcement Contracts

The scale of this surveillance network has expanded through partnerships involving nearly 100 Colorado police agencies and over 160 private entities, including homeowners associations. Data compiled by activists indicates that 60 police and sheriff departments statewide currently utilize this tracking technology, with 42 of those agencies specifically contracting with the vendor Flock Safety. Public safety leaders, such as Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn, maintain that these systems are essential for identifying vehicles involved in criminal investigations and reducing subjective policing decisions.

Legal Guardrails and Legislative Intervention

As the technology outpaces existing privacy laws, state lawmakers are attempting to establish formal boundaries through proposed legislation. Senate Bill 70 aims to restrict the duration of data storage and mandate warrants for certain searches, while Senate Bill 71 would implement mandatory audits and penalties for data misuse. Currently, the legal system remains in a state of flux, with University of Colorado law professor Vivek Krishnamurthy noting that the Fourth Amendment was originally designed to protect against physical searches rather than persistent, digital location tracking.