Aquiles La Grave questions Boulder's Flock contract in a sanctuary city
Entrepreneur and candidate for mayor of Boulder
“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.”
Source and context
Reporting
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
Case context: Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
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
Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
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