Denver’s use of Flock Safety’s AI-powered license plate readers sparked a massive public backlash, with hundreds of residents and multiple city councilmembers attending a heated town hall to protest the surveillance technology. The controversy centers on Mayor Mike Johnston’s unilateral contract extension for the cameras, which bypassed a council vote. While the mayor’s office defends the system as a critical tool for solving serious crimes and claims a new contract adds strict data-sharing guardrails, opponents are unconvinced. Citing deep distrust, fears of data being shared with federal agencies like ICE, and a lack of transparency, activists and politicians are demanding the program be terminated. The conflict highlights a growing tension between public safety initiatives and the civil liberties implications of AI-driven mass surveillance, with critics arguing the technology is an invasive threat to privacy that disproportionately affects minority communities.