Lakewood holds study session on Flock camera use
The short version: Lakewood's city council finally held a public study session on Flock ALPRs, proof that sustained community pushback can force transparency on secretive surveillance deals.
Our Take
Credit to Denver7 for covering this: a Lakewood study session on Flock Safety cameras didn't happen because city officials suddenly cared about privacy — it happened because residents made enough noise that elected officials couldn't ignore it. That's the pattern we see over and over. These contracts get signed quietly, often sold as a narrow tool for recovering stolen cars, and the public only finds out the real scope after the cameras are already bolted to poles.
A "study session" is a good first step, but it's not oversight. Real accountability means public audit logs, data retention limits, restrictions on sharing with ICE and out-of-state agencies, and a hard no on networked lookups that turn one city's cameras into a nationwide tracking grid. Lakewood's outcry is exactly the kind of pressure that works — it's worth watching whether the council actually acts on what residents are telling them or just lets the study session serve as a pressure valve.
If you want to see whether Flock or similar ALPR systems are already watching your own neighborhood, check our camera map, and if you'd rather not wait for a study session in your town, our take-action page has concrete steps for pushing back before the cameras go up.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Denver7, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.