How Flock came to Arvada

1. By the end of 2022 Arvada already has 19 plate-reader cameras City record

   The police department's 2023 annual report says that “By the end of 2022, APD officers and investigators controlled or had access to 19 LPR cameras in the city”: car-based cameras from “an existing vendor,” a grant-funded trailer, static cameras bought in 2021–2022 and attached to intersections, and existing cameras owned by other city departments. The report does not name the vendors.[2]

2. March 28–29, 2023 The police chief signs a Flock order form CORA

   A Flock order form for “CO - Arvada PD,” signed by Flock on March 28 and by the chief of police on March 29, prices 40 Falcon cameras, Advanced Search and a $350-per-camera implementation fee at $116,500 for year one and $102,500 a year after that. The City Clerk attested it and the City Attorney's office approved it as to form. Neither the order form nor its terms cite any council vote, resolution or approval; they mention the City Council only as the body that must appropriate funds after the first fiscal year.[3]

   The 60-day pilot, cancellable at no cost, is the first 60 days of a 12-month initial term, and for Falcon cameras the term “shall commence upon first installation and validation of Flock Hardware” (§6.1). The year-one invoice was not due until the final number of cameras was set and the pilot had ended, so 40 is the quoted quantity, not a fixed count. The city could also terminate for convenience at any time (§6.2), for a $500-per-camera removal fee outside the pilot.[3]

   No council vote was required for a contract this size. Under the purchasing ordinance in force in March 2023 (Chapter 82 of the city code, enacted August 16, 2021 by Ordinance No. 4774), a department director could approve any budgeted contract up to $199,999.99, and City Council approval, by resolution, began at $500,000. For a multi-year contract the city may end within its first year, the ordinance measures approval authority by the first year's amount: here, $116,500. The ordinance defines “director” to include a department director, and the chief of police heads the police department.[15]

3. October 27, 2023 About seven months later, the department says it “will use Flock” City record

   On its official X account the Arvada Police Department posts a statement that begins “Responding to questions about the use of the License Plate reading system to be used in Arvada.” It says the department “will use Flock Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) to help detect and reduce crime in our community,” describes stationary, solar-powered cameras “located within Municipal - Right of Ways,” says “APD will have appropriate policies in place,” that “The funds once used for the Star Chase system … are now used for FLOCK,” and that “APD is waiting on the appropriate permitting so the cameras can be installed.” The post gives no contract date, price, camera count, locations or council action. It is the earliest public statement by the department that this site has found.[4]

4. March 2024 The 2023 annual report: “entered into a contract with Flock” City record

   The police department's 2023 annual report says: “In 2023, the APD entered into a contract with Flock, a new and emerging LPR company with a robust platform and growing list of law enforcement clients in the Denver area, to further enhance capabilities.” It is the report's only mention of Flock and gives no date, price, camera count, locations or approval. The file's metadata dates it to March 22, 2024; the report prints no publication date.[2]

5. April 1 and 15, 2024 “Flock” first appears in a council packet, in a budget carryover City record

   The packet for CB24-005, an ordinance adding carryover funds to the 2024 budget, says under the Police Tax Increment .21 Fund: “$50,000 was budgeted in 2023 for a flock contract and Jefferson County Mental Health MOU which were not executed in 2023. A request to carryover $50,000 into 2024 is being made for these agreements.” Council approved the ordinance on first reading April 1 and on final reading April 15 (Ordinance No. 4871), the second time with all seven members voting yes. The minutes do not mention Flock. The paragraph does not say which agreement it means or how much of the $50,000 was for Flock; the March 2023 order form had already been signed, with its invoice due after the pilot.[5]

6. November 13, 2024 Flock alerts are reaching Arvada officers City record

   The police department's public weekly activity report for November 11–17, 2024 says that on November 13 at 6:12 p.m. “officers received two FLOCK Safety license plate notifications” about a vehicle traveling on W. 52nd Ave. It shows Flock alerts in use by that date; the report does not say whose camera produced them.[6]

7. March 2025 The 2024 annual report: “We expanded the use of Flock camera systems” City record

   The chief's letter in the police department's 2024 annual report says: “We expanded the use of Flock camera systems, increased surveillance coverage across the City, and developed expertise in cryptocurrency investigations.” It is the report's only mention of Flock and gives no camera count or locations. The file's metadata dates it to March 18, 2025.[7]

8. June 11, 2025 ALPR policy PM 460 takes effect CORA

   “Reasonable suspicion or probable cause is not necessary before using an ALPR.” Data from mobile (vehicle-mounted) readers is purged after 364 days and is also retained by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, for a period the policy does not give; data from fixed cameras leased through third-party vendors is deleted on a rolling 30-day basis. The policy names the Olde Town Transit Hub and “various intersections” as fixed locations and does not name Flock.[8]

9. September 22, 2025 CBS: Arvada’s cameras are open to nationwide searches Press

   Reporting on Flock networks across Colorado, CBS News Colorado writes that of the agencies that provided their data, “most allow law enforcement nationwide to search their cameras, including Arvada, Aurora, Greeley, Lafayette, Northglenn, Jefferson County, Summit County, and Westminster.” It is the only account of Arvada’s sharing settings from outside the city that this site has found. It also conflicts with what the city would tell its council three months later, below.[16]

10. October 11–13, 2025 Police credit a Flock camera in an armed robbery arrest Press

    After a shooting and carjacking near West 54th Avenue and Harlan Street, officers “were pinged of the stolen truck’s plates from a Flock camera near Upham Street and Ralston Road,” KDVR reports, and a pursuit ended at Interstate 70 and Wadsworth Boulevard with two arrests. A department spokesman adds that the technology “helped solve a fatal hit-and-run a few months ago.” It is the most detailed public crediting of the system by the department that this site has found.[17]

11. December 3–9, 2025 The “no cost” pilot becomes a paid contract CORA

    The chief signs a Flock Master Services Agreement on December 3. Flock's Chief Legal Officer countersigns December 9 (the attached order form shows Flock's signature dated December 8), and the agreement takes effect on the last signature. It recites that the March 2023 documents were a “Pilot Agreement” under which Flock provided “a Pilot Period of the Flock Services at no cost to Arvada”; that “12 Flock Safety LPRs are currently installed and operating, and three additional Flock Safety LPRs are pending installation”; and that Arvada also contracts with Flock for a Falcon Flex under a separate agreement, which the release did not include. The order form itself says Flock is “continuing to install the 15 Flock Safety LPRs” and will install “the remaining two Flock Safety LPRs,” so the documents give both three and two as still to come.[9]

    It covers 15 cameras: $47,500 a year for the platform, which includes the 15 cameras and Advanced Search, plus a one-time implementation fee of $350 a camera ($5,250). It recites that Arvada is buying under the sole-source provisions of its Purchasing Ordinance, and it renews automatically up to four times unless either side gives notice 30 days before the term ends. The 2023 terms let the city terminate for convenience at any time; this agreement has no termination for convenience, and ending it early in the public interest requires a City Council resolution.[9]

12. December 16, 2025 Council rewrites the purchasing ordinance City record

    One week after the Flock agreement took effect, Ordinance No. 4914 replaces Chapter 82’s approval tables. A work system director or deputy director may now approve budgeted contracts up to $149,999.99, and council approval by resolution still begins at $500,000. At $52,750 for its first year, the new Flock contract sat below every council threshold under either version of the ordinance.[15]

13. December 22, 2025 The chief tells Council: partnered “since 2023,” 16 cameras City record

    In a memo to the Mayor and City Council answering questions from Councilmember Ambrose, the chief of police writes that “APD has partnered with Flock Safety since 2023 and currently operates 16 ALPR cameras throughout the City.” The memo gives 2023 as the only start date and mentions no contract, procurement or council vote. The agreement that took effect thirteen days earlier covers 15 cameras; the documents do not explain the difference. The chief adds that he will “look to schedule a study session or workshop in the coming year.”[10]

    The memo also describes the data flows, in both directions. “APD receives data from over 170 law enforcement agencies across the nation, including over 90 agencies in Colorado,” it says, while “Access to Arvada’s Flock network is granted to local and state law enforcement agencies in Colorado only.” The councilmember’s questions had asked for a complete history of searches by outside agencies, with the recorded reason for each. On that, the memo answers that such details “should be directed to those agencies.”[10]

14. February 10, 2026 Council's first plate-reader workshop: “Educational session only” City record

    Agenda item 2.B is an “Educational and Discussion Session Regarding Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR),” the first council agenda item this site found devoted to plate readers. The staff report, prepared by an assistant city attorney and signed off by the chief, says: “Educational session only. No next steps anticipated.” The police department's slides state “Arvada PD has 16 Flock, 10 Genetec, and 1 ELSAG ALPRs” and “Arvada Public Works has 4 Genetec ALPRs”: 31 devices by this site's arithmetic, 16 of them Flock. The staff report also says the department gave Council a short ALPR presentation on January 20, 2026; that meeting's agenda lists “Presentations - None,” and this site found none in its packet or minutes.[10][11]

    A question-and-answer slide addresses sharing directly: “We decide who has access - currently only CO LE agencies,” and, on federal access, “Arvada controls access by contract. We do not perform/share for immigration activities.” In September, CBS had named Arvada among the agencies whose cameras law enforcement nationwide could search. No public record shows the sharing setting itself, or whether it changed between the two statements.[10][16]

15. March 2026 The 2025 annual report drops the word “Flock” City record

    The police department’s 2025 annual report carries a page on automated license plate readers that calls them “a focused, lawful investigative tool” and says “the department operates a public ALPR transparency web page.” The word Flock appears nowhere in the 44-page report, and no camera count is given. The 2023 report had announced the contract by name, and the 2024 report had described expanding it. The file's metadata dates it to March 10, 2026.[18]

16. April 7, 2026 Council is told the real-time center's third phase is “Existing ALPR technology” City record

    At a study session on the Arvada Real Time Information Center (ARTIC), the staff report says: “Phase three targets the onboarding of Automatic License Plate Reader (‘ALPR’) technology,” and that “Later this spring 2026, City Council will consider” a contract with Axon. A police slide lists Phase Three as “Existing ALPR technology” and “Other technological components city wide as needed.”[12]

17. July 16, 2026 Real-time center policy PM 461 takes effect CORA

    The policy says the Arvada Real Time Information Center “consolidates information from multiple sources,” including automated license plate readers, city-facility cameras, body-worn cameras, drones, law enforcement databases and open source intelligence, and that “each of these technologies operates under its own established policies and procedures.” The center is managed by an assigned commander. The policy does not mention Flock.[13]

18. September 22, 2026 The proposed 2027–2028 budget lists Flock among funded police requests City record

    At the City Manager's budget workshop, a slide headed “Funded requests - SAFE COMMUNITY” lists “POLICE - $458,000 (VOI, Jeffco Crime Lab, Flock, Rifle (½), LIDAR, Lexis Nexis, Nighthawk, 3 COP positions (2034), RMSC 25%).” The slide does not say how much of the $458,000 is for Flock.[14]

19. About November 9, 2026 Last day to give notice of non-renewal

    By this site's arithmetic: the contract requires notice “at least thirty (30) days prior to the end of the then-current term,” a term that began December 9, 2025 and runs 12 months.[9]

20. About December 9, 2026 First automatic renewal

    Absent notice, the contract renews for another 12 months at up to $47,500, the first of up to four renewals, which would carry it to about December 2030.[9]

Sources for this page

1. The CORA release, published in full at Records: the documents.
2. Arvada Police Department, 2023 Annual Report. arvadaco.gov“License Plate Reader Technology,” p. 32. The PDF's metadata gives a creation date of March 22, 2024; no publication date is printed.
3. City of Arvada / Flock Group Inc., Services Agreement Order Form and Government Agency Agreement, DocuSign-dated March 28–29, 2023. PDFPilot and billing p. 1; pricing p. 2; signatures p. 3; term start §6.1(b), termination §6.2–6.2.1 and appropriation §6.6, p. 13–14.
4. Arvada Police Department (@ArvadaPolice), post on X, October 27, 2023, 2:20 p.m. Mountain time. x.comA long-form post; open it to read the full text.
5. City of Arvada, City Council business meeting packet, April 1, 2024, item 8.C.1 (CB24-005), PDF p. 397. PDFFirst reading: minutes of April 1 in the April 15 packet, p. 6. Final reading and vote: minutes of April 15 in the May 6 packet, p. 8.
6. Arvada Police Department, “Activity Reported November 11 to November 17, 2024.” arvadaco.gov
7. Arvada Police Department, 2024 Annual Report. arvadaco.gov“A Word From the Chief of Police,” p. 2. The PDF's metadata gives a creation date of March 18, 2025.
8. Arvada Police Department, Policy Manual PM 460, “Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR),” effective June 11, 2025. DOCX
9. City of Arvada / Flock Group Inc., Master Services Agreement, signed December 3 and 9, 2025. PDFRecitals p. 2–3 (sole source p. 3); renewal §7.1 p. 11 and p. 27; early termination §7.2.3 p. 12; signatures p. 23 and 29; order form p. 27–29. Renewal and notice dates are this site's arithmetic from the contract's terms.
10. City of Arvada, City Council workshop packet, February 10, 2026 (agenda item 2.B). PDFStaff report p. 111–112; the chief's memo of December 22, 2025, p. 113–122 (statement on p. 114); police slides p. 123–134 (inventory on p. 124). Also on the city's agenda portal.
11. City of Arvada, City Council agenda, January 20, 2026, item 6. PDFMinutes of January 20 are in the February 3 packet, p. 3–6; they record public comment about Flock cameras and no police presentation.
12. City of Arvada, City Council study session packet, April 7, 2026 (Arvada Real Time Information Center). PDFStaff report p. 2; police slide on implementation phases p. 31.
13. Arvada Police Department, Policy Manual PM 461, “Arvada Real Time Information Center (ARTIC),” effective July 16, 2026. DOCX
14. City of Arvada, City Council workshop packet, September 22, 2026, “2027 - 2028 Proposed City Manager's Budget Presentation” (agenda item 2.A). PDF“Funded requests - SAFE COMMUNITY” slide, p. 29.
15. Arvada City Code, Chapter 82, “Purchasing and Contracts.” MunicodeApproval tiers in Table 82-62(a); the first-year rule for multi-year contracts in Sec. 82-62(b); “director” defined in Sec. 82-4. The March 2023 figures are from the version enacted by Ord. No. 4774 (Aug. 16, 2021), read in an archived Municode edition of the chapter that predates the December 2025 amendments and whose section notes cite only Ord. No. 4774; the current figures reflect Ord. No. 4914 (Dec. 16, 2025), per the section's own amendment notes.
16. Shaun Boyd, “Crime fighter or mass surveillance? In Colorado, license plate readers are high-tech and widespread,” CBS News Colorado, September 22, 2025. cbsnews.com
17. Courtney Fromm, “Flock camera credited for quick ping of truck involved in armed robbery, carjacking,” KDVR / FOX31 Denver, October 13, 2025. via Yahoo NewsCited from the syndicated copy; the story is KDVR's.
18. Arvada Police Department, 2025 Annual Report. arvadaco.gov“Automated License Plate Readers,” p. 41. The PDF's metadata gives a creation date of March 10, 2026; the word count for “Flock” is this site's full-text search of the document.