Durango privacy ordinance would require warrants for surveillance records but exempt ALPRs

First reported: September 9, 2026 · 1 source

A proposed "Protect Our Privacy Ordinance" set for introduction at Durango's Sept. 15 City Council meeting would require a warrant to search surveillance technology records, but the final draft carves out an exemption for automated license plate readers. DeFlock member Ben Peters, who helped draft the ordinance, said the exemption was added without the group's agreement; the original draft required a warrant with an exception for exigent circumstances. Separately, the Durango Police Department is ending its Flock Safety contract and moving to Axon ALPRs on a tentative 2027 timeline. The ordinance has not been passed and would apply regardless of which vendor the department uses.

Why this matters

Durango is one of the few cities to negotiate surveillance rules directly with local ALPR critics, and the disputed warrant exemption shows how much of a privacy ordinance's effect can turn on a single carve-out. The Flock-to-Axon switch also raises questions other communities face about integrating plate data with body cameras, drones and other evidence systems.

Key facts

The ordinance is scheduled for introduction at the Sept. 15 City Council meeting; passage is not guaranteed.
Durango currently has 13 Flock ALPRs; Police Chief Brice Current canceled an order for five additional cameras.
A cost estimate for 20 Axon cameras was roughly $57,000 annually, though the department has not decided on camera count or placement.
Current said nationwide data sharing defaults to off with Axon, versus on with Flock, and said he will not allow Axon to use Durango data for AI training.
Current said searching ALPR data is not a Fourth Amendment search and does not require a warrant; Peters said integration with drones and body cameras could build more comprehensive profiles of people.

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

As Durango pivots from Flock , new ordinance could drop safeguards for ALPR searches (durangoherald.com, September 9, 2026)

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BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.

Updated September 9, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.