Salida, Colorado police cancel Flock Safety ALPR contract, citing community privacy concerns

First reported: August 13, 2026 · 7 sources

The Salida Police Department announced it is ending its contract with Flock Safety and will stop using the company's automated license plate readers. In its release, the department said residents had raised questions about privacy, data retention, who can access the information, and the potential for inappropriate use of the system. Police said effective public safety requires transparency, accountability and ongoing dialogue with the community.

Why this matters

Salida joins a set of small municipalities that have opted not to continue ALPR contracts after public scrutiny, offering a reference point for other communities weighing surveillance technology against privacy and data-governance questions.

Key facts

The Salida Police Department said it is canceling its Flock Safety contract and discontinuing use of the ALPR cameras.
Community concerns cited by the department included privacy, data retention, information access, and inappropriate uses of the system.
Police said they do not condone vandalism associated with Flock cameras and asked anyone with information about recent damage to contact the department at (719) 539-6880.
The article does not state when the contract began, its cost, or the number of cameras deployed.

Timeline

August 13, 2026Salida Police Department cancels contract with Flock Safety, cites community concerns
August 14, 2026Salida Police Dept. Cancels Contract With Flock Safety
August 14, 2026Salida Police Department cancels Flock Safety contract following community pushback

Sources

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

Salida Police Department cancels contract with Flock Safety, cites community concerns (KOAA News 5, August 13, 2026)
Salida Police Dept. Cancels Contract With Flock Safety (Ark Valley Voice, August 14, 2026)
Salida Police Department cancels Flock Safety contract following community pushback (Canon City Daily Record, August 14, 2026)
Salida Police Department cancels contract with Flock Safety (kktv.com, August 11, 2026)
Salida Police Department cancels contract with Flock Safety (kktv.com, August 13, 2026)
Salida Police Department cancels Flock Safety contract over community concerns about privacy, civil liberties (Denver7, August 14, 2026)
Salida Police Department cancels Flock Safety contract (denverpost.com, August 14, 2026)

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About this record

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 August 17, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.