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BOULDER, Colo. — Two Boulder residents have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Boulder Police Department, claiming the city’s network of 31 Flock Safety automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras amounts to illegal, warrantless mass surveillance that violates privacy protections under the Colorado Constitution.
The lawsuit, filed in Boulder District Court on May 27, 2026, seeks to block the police department’s use of the cameras, declare the program unconstitutional, and force the release of records detailing the data collected. It is being described as a first-of-its-kind legal challenge of its kind in Colorado.
Flock Safety cameras like the ones used in Boulder capture high-resolution images of passing vehicles, including license plate numbers, timestamps, dates, and GPS coordinates. The system can also record details of cyclists, such as faces, clothing, and characteristics. Data is typically stored for 30 days and was previously searchable by thousands of law enforcement agencies nationwide through Flock’s network until Boulder restricted sharing in June 2025.
Plaintiffs William “Will” Freeman (founder of deflock.org, which maps ALPR cameras across the country) and Gwen Steel argue the cameras create a “detailed mosaic” of residents’ daily lives. Freeman reported that five cameras capture his movements during his typical commute by car or bike, while Steel’s movements are tracked multiple times per week along major routes and near community locations, wrote Colorado Sun.
Civil rights attorney Andy McNulty, representing the plaintiffs, stated: “Boulder cannot pretend this is about catching criminals when 99% of the people its cameras surveil every day have nothing to do with any crime. This is the kind of dragnet surveillance that turns every neighborhood into a checkpoint and every commute into a serious violation of privacy rights. The Colorado Constitution does not permit it, and we intend to put a stop to it.”
Freeman added: “These cameras give the government unchecked superpowers and that’s not something we should tolerate," reported Colorado Sun.
Boulder Police Department has defended the program, noting it has contributed to a 34.5% reduction in car thefts. Officials say all searches of the database require supervisor approval and are logged. The city, which has contracted with Flock since 2022 at an annual cost of approximately $82,500, stated it is aware of the litigation and will address the claims through official court filings.
The complaint also alleges a violation of Colorado’s Criminal Justice Records Act after a records request by Freeman was denied.https://artifacts.grokusercontent.com/third-party-image
Where is the ACLU on this?
This source of revenue is a money grab.