SUMMIT COUNTY, CO – Summit County will keep its contract with Flock Safety, but the sheriff’s office is changing how the license plate reader system is used after a 30-day pause and an internal review. Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said the decision followed community feedback and a look at safety, legal and financial factors.
The cameras will remain off until a new policy is finalized and posted on the sheriff’s office website. Once that happens, the system will be turned back on under tighter rules that reduce how long images are kept and limit how the data can be shared.
Sheriff cites public safety, missing people cases and crisis response
FitzSimons said the technology has been useful for more than two years in Summit County. He said it has helped deputies find missing people, conduct welfare checks, support mental health crisis response and assist in preventing, solving and prosecuting crime.
He described Flock as a public safety tool that is both legal and effective. He also said there has not been a misuse incident within the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, adding that Colorado law, internal policy, regular audits and staff oversight create safeguards that are intended to keep the system in check.
The pause began on Aug. 26 so the agency could study how the cameras were being used and hear from residents. FitzSimons said the county took those comments seriously before deciding to continue the contract.
New rules will narrow camera use and shorten data storage
The sheriff’s office said it will issue a new use policy governing both the cameras and the handling of information collected by them. The department also plans to limit the number of cameras and where they are placed in unincorporated Summit County.
One of the biggest changes is a shorter retention window. Images will now be held for seven days rather than 30. The county will also participate only in the Colorado statewide network for information sharing, rather than allowing broader use.
FitzSimons said the office will also create a detailed FAQ page about automated license plate readers. He said the revised policy will be made public before the cameras are turned back on.
National scrutiny over police misuse has put Flock under pressure
The county’s decision comes as Flock Safety faces growing bipartisan criticism nationwide over privacy and surveillance concerns. In August, The Washington Post reported nearly 50 cases in which police officers were charged or accused of using the cameras for unauthorized purposes, often to track romantic partners or family members.
FitzSimons said Summit County has not had that problem, but the broader criticism has clearly shaped the review. He said officials considered “strong emotions on both sides” before landing on a set of changes that would keep the technology while trying to reduce the risk of misuse.
Critics have argued that the cameras amount to a form of warrantless mass surveillance. Supporters, meanwhile, say law enforcement still needs tools that can help officers respond quickly to serious cases and emergencies.
Other Colorado communities have moved away from the company
Summit County’s decision stands in contrast with several other Colorado jurisdictions. Salida ended its relationship with Flock in mid-August after residents raised privacy and civil liberties concerns.
Denver also cut ties earlier this year in a narrow City Council vote after the city had already banned sharing license plate reader data with the federal government. Fort Collins followed in June, shutting down its network after council voted to cancel its contract.
In Wellington, residents have questioned what data Flock collects. Larimer County Sheriff’s Office officials defended their own use of the cameras and said audits had not found improper use since the system was adopted.
Flock says new safeguards and shorter retention will be companywide by January
Flock chief executive Garrett Langley told The Associated Press last month that the company is moving to a new set of safeguards across its customers by Jan. 1. Those changes include mandatory audits, a shortened standard retention period and a requirement that law enforcement enter a case code before running a search.
The company said data can be kept longer when it is tied to evidence and a case number. It also said customers will be able to decide which offense categories outside agencies can search, including the option to block searches connected to immigration enforcement.
Langley said those controls are meant to let departments use the system in ways that match community values. Critics, however, said the updates still leave room for abuse and do not fully answer privacy concerns.
Civil liberties groups say some changes help, but the debate continues
The American Civil Liberties Union said in a blog post that cutting the evidence retention window to seven days could be a step in the right direction. Still, the group described the other changes as recycled safeguards that do not go far enough.
That split mirrors the larger debate around automated license plate readers in Colorado and beyond. Law enforcement agencies see a tool that can speed investigations and help answer urgent calls for help, while critics warn that the systems can create broad tracking networks with too little oversight.
For Summit County, the immediate result is not a shutdown but a reset. The cameras will stay under contract, yet their use will be narrower, their retention period shorter and their sharing rules more limited than before.
