Flock's Aurora school surveillance
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Aurora police put Flock automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) in nine high school parking lots last year, quietly bringing a powerful surveillance tool onto campuses largely filled with minors.
Why it matters: ALPRs raise security and privacy concerns because they create searchable records, prompting questions about who can access the data and how.
Driving the news: Aurora police installed cameras at Aurora Central, Gateway, Hinkley, Rangeview and Vista PEAK Preparatory high schools.
- Aurora police manage the cameras, not Aurora Public Schools (APS).
- A district spokesperson tells me the district doesn't have a contract with Flock.
Across town, Cherry Creek School District (CCSD) allowed Aurora police to install Flock cameras at Cherokee Trail, Grandview, Overland and Smoky Hill high schools in 2025.
Behind the scenes: Former CCSD superintendent Chris Smith gave verbal approval for the installations, a district spokesperson says.
- The school board wasn't consulted or notified, and the district never signed a memorandum of understanding or contract governing the cameras.
- Interim superintendent Jennifer Perry asked they be taken down this year.
Yes, but: Perry knew about the cameras before taking over, Smith's attorney tells the Denver Post, adding her staff had already been talking with local law enforcement.
What we don't know: Both school districts referred questions about the cameras to Aurora police, which did not respond Tuesday — including to questions about how often the school cameras' data had been searched and whether ICE, DHS or other federal agencies can access the data.
Zoom out: Flock's growing reach has sparked national scrutiny over who can search its data and whether federal immigration authorities can access it, too.
- Police nationwide have searched school-based Flock cameras for immigration-related purposes.
- More than 3,100 police agencies searched eight cameras at one Texas school district 733,000+ times during a monthlong stretch between 2025 and 2026, The 74 found. Roughly 600 of those searches were cited as immigration-related.
Threat level: Students reported changing how they communicated or participated at school because of campus surveillance, ACLU research found.
What they're saying: "It's a massive invasion of privacy … being implemented on kids," Denver civil rights attorney Andy McNulty told the Post.
- He also raised concerns about cameras capturing students' faces and clothing.
What we're watching: Flock cameras are still watching some school lots in Aurora.