Aquiles La Grave questions Boulder's Flock contract in a sanctuary city

Aquiles La GraveEntrepreneur and candidate for mayor of Boulder

Aquiles La Grave asked how Boulder can be a sanctuary city while using AI-assisted mass surveillance from a company with a checkered record of sharing data with federal agencies, and said the council has accepted that the contract is administrative and outside its say.

“How does the city explain being a sanctuary city at the same time as having AI-assisted mass surveillance with a company that has, at best, a checkered track record of sharing that information with the very agencies that we’re trying to protect our immigrants from? Council feels comfortable enough with being told by the city manager that that’s an administrative contract, and therefore, they have no say in it.”

Reporting

Open source (opens in a new tab)Boulder entrepreneur Aquiles La Grave announces run for mayorParagraphs on the city's Flock Safety contract, after the airport discussion
A close view of a green Flock Safety automated license-plate reader mounted beside a street.
Credit: Bruxton

Where this statement fits

Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?

Networked automated license-plate readers record passing vehicles and let agencies search or share travel records across locations. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to prohibit these networks, keep them with legal limits, or defend their use for investigations. This tracker records attributable positions on that choice, including proposals that would affect only public funding or data access.

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Source and context

Reporting

Boulder entrepreneur Aquiles La Grave announces run for mayor (opens in a new tab)Paragraphs on the city's Flock Safety contract, after the airport discussion

About this source

Boulder Reporting Lab article on Aquiles La Grave's campaign for mayor of Boulder, based on an interview with the candidate.

Archived copy (opens in a new tab)

Before the quotation

Boulder Reporting Lab reported that La Grave said the council should have exercised greater control over the city's contract with Flock Safety, which provides Boulder's license-plate reader cameras, and that city staff put the contract out for competitive bidding in March after public opposition.

After the quotation

The article reports that the city manager's office is expected to select the winning bidder.

How this statement is classified

Mixed or conditional

The label describes this statement's response within the context above.

Why this label?

The reference point is whether networked license-plate camera systems such as Flock should exist and be used. La Grave questions how Boulder can be a sanctuary city while using AI-assisted mass surveillance from a company with a checkered record on data sharing, and faults the council for not asserting control over the contract; he criticizes the arrangement and seeks oversight without calling to end the cameras.

Recorded on
Published here
People and groups discussed
Flock Safety

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Cite this record

Publisher
The Dispute Index
Title
Aquiles La Grave questions Boulder's Flock contract in a sanctuary city
First published
Last updated
Permalink
https://disputeindex.com/events/3130-aquiles-la-grave-asked-how-boulder-can-be

Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.

The Dispute Index. "Aquiles La Grave questions Boulder's Flock contract in a sanctuary city". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3130-aquiles-la-grave-asked-how-boulder-can-be