City Council - Regular Meeting

Hey, Denver. It's time for the weekly general session of your Denver City Council. Tonight's coverage of Denver City Council starts now.

Thank you for taking the time to join us for Denver City Council's meeting. Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish. Sam or Jasmine, would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices?

Yes. Of course. Thank you for having us. Hello, everyone. My name is Sam Guzman.

Joining you virtually through Zoom and along with my colleague Jasmine, we will be interpreting today's meeting into Spanish. Please allow me a quick moment while I give instructions in Spanish on how to access interpretation. And thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Sam.

I have to

knock because I don't have my gum. Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of 03/23/2026. It's in my car. Council members, please count please please join council member Flynn in the pledge of allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America the republic for which

it stands.

One One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all.

Councilmembers, please join council member Flynn as they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgment.

The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the traditional territory of the Hue, Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. We honor elders, past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land through generations. We also recognize that government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact erase exclusions and erasures of indigenous peoples. May this acknowledgement demonstrate a commitment to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities and recognize the current and future contributions of indigenous communities in Denver.

Thank you, council member Flynn. Madam secretary, roll call.

Council member Stine.

Alvidrez? Here. Flynn? Here.

Gilmore? Here. Gonzales Gutierrez? Here. Cashman? Here. Lewis? Here. Parody? Here. Romero Campbell? Here. Sawyer? Here. Torres? Here. Watson? Here.

Madam president Sandoval? Here.

12 members present.

There are 12 members present. Council has a quorum. Approval of the minutes. Are there corrections to the minutes of March 16? Seeing none, the minutes stand approved. Council announcements. Are there any announcements from members of council?

Yes, madam president.

Yeah. Council member Cashman?

Yeah. I'd like to congratulate the mighty Thank you. Mighty, the University of Denver pioneers men's hockey team for winning the National Collegiate Conference championship, and they will be playing this coming weekend in the NCAA national championships up in Loveland, Colorado. So, as I am always wanting to say, go Pios. Thank you, madam chair.

Thank you. Council member Albyteris. Thank you. And on a similar note,

we finally get to say go Denver Summit FC. That's really exciting. So this Saturday, March 28 is they actually have already been playing for anybody that didn't realize that. But this Saturday is our first home game at Empower Field at Mile High. They'll be hosting the game against the Washington spirits. Kickoff is at is at noon at in Powerfield at Mile High. Gates open at 10AM. It's a really exciting time to go watch our first home game with our first women's or not maybe first, but currently our only women's professional sports team. So excited to attend and go Denver Summit FC. Thank you.

Council pro temer mayor Campbell.

Thank you, madam president. Two things. We are having, Wellshire is gonna celebrate a hundred years, this year, and we are doing a golf tournament and large community celebration on June 5. If you are interested and people have been asking and want to play in that golf tournament, go to Denver Golf. It's on June 5 in the morning.

And we've done a historic designation, and we're just waiting for the national to hear back from the national, historic registration for the golf course. It is a Donald Ross course, which I did not know before this, but he is a very famous and very renowned golf course designer that did this over a hundred years ago. And then on secondly, I would also like and I think there you will probably make a statement or others would make a statement as well. But I think the events of last week and the the news of Cesar Chavez and the harms bless you. And the harms that he has done in with Dolores Huerta and and other young people and women is heartbreaking for community, heartbreaking, and I appreciate the the press conference that you held last week.

But on a very personal note,

my dad was a farm worker. My dad worked the fields. He he he harvested sugar beets, and my brother-in-law worked the fields in multiple states with his family for many years until he went to college. And, you know, my husband Accessibility shortcut.

I'm sorry.

Also it's quite alright. Has also done labor and work in the fields. And I think that as devastating as it is, the work that the movement held, the work that it represents for for workers' rights, the how it represents all the things that I grew up knowing and upholding. I don't want to be marred by what has happened. And I think that, you know, my pain, the disappointment within just Latino community, I think it goes well beyond.

I know that there are many people that I spoke to this weekend, as well that are also, really devastated by this news. And so it's just more of an acknowledgement that I want to make of, this is about all of us. This was a hero, somebody that we in our community, and it feels so incredibly devastating. But that it's not just within Latino community. It's it's, I think, everyone.

And what that means for how I think and want to talk about the impact of a movement moving forward is just it's a lot of time to sit with it. I think I'm still processing. I look forward to a community process of how we as a city and as a state think about what that impact is moving forward. And I love the idea of a CSIP by the day and and what that name looks like moving forward. You know, again, I think a broader community conversation would do us all good and well and very healing. So thank you. Thank you. Councilwoman Taras.

Thank you so much. Just wanna share for district three community to come up and meet DA John Walsh this Wednesday from 05:30 to seven at the Westwood Community Center. We are partnering with Southwest Denver Coalition, Mikasa Resource Center, and the Far East Senate to get to know what the d what the DA's office does, who DA Walsh is, so I hope to see folks there. And I also want to share my congratulations. I know West High School is celebrating their hundredth year building celebration this year, and, actually, events are on Thursday evening at the school. So thank you.

Councilmember Cashman?

Yeah. Thank you, madam president. I didn't want to forget on April 1, six to 8PM at Cook Park Recreation Center District 6 is housing our, meet the city, academy in the community. We'll have 30 city agencies and outside partners like Denver Water, Xcel Energy, whole bunch of good folks there to, talk to you in person, get your questions answered about what's going on with various city plans, city projects, what's up with Xcel Energy, and are they gonna be able to keep the lights on, and a whole bunch of good good folks to talk to. Again, that's Cook Park Rec Center, six to 8PM on April 1. Thank you, madam press.

Thank you. Council man Watson?

Thank you, council president. I wanted to take a moment to thank coach Bailey. Most folks that live on Eastside know that coach John Bailey has been engaged with our community for many decades. On a weekly basis, you could find the Colorado Black Roundtable hosting events and discussions on all topics. This past weekend, coach Bailey held an event elevating black women and their role within the African American community, highlighting sororities and the good work that they do and honoring, I think, up to 15 of these amazing women providing actual certificates, a massive luncheon of about 70 folks.

And that was just this past weekend. This morning, I had the honor to sit on a panel with councilwoman Gonzalez Gutierrez and a whole host of other folks, the DA Walsh, director Gardner, to discuss public safety within our communities. Paused to say that because oftentimes, the folks in our community that does do so much to bring our communities together, We'll take a moment to thank them. And so, coach Bailey, if you are watching, know that weekend after weekend, all of the good works that you do to bring us together, not just in dialogue, but also in action. Your work is appreciated.

Thank you so much for hosting that summit this morning with community members and with folks who actually are implementing and executing on the regulatory environment that impacts how we live our lives and how free we are as a city. Thank you, madam president.

Thank you.

Council councilor Lee Gilmore.

Thank you.

I appreciate the council pro tem, Romero Campbell, bringing up what transpired last last week. And beyond the movements that we're talking about, I'm also hopeful that this will begin a broader conversation of especially powerful men and those who protect them, including women, and knowing that historically, the Catholic church, government, others have intentionally protected and hid predators that are in our families, in our communities, and it's not enough to acknowledge and then rename things a deeper reflection and introspection of how these systems get set up and how everybody is complacent for decades in the silencing and the abuse of women and children. Children, and we're seeing that also play out live with the expansion of detention centers, with what we're allowing to happen in our society. And so having been one of those survivors and having experienced also the what goes along in a family and the protection of the church, if we don't bring that to light, we're not gonna help the people who are struggling right now today that it's okay for them to also speak out. Thank you.

Thank you. I'd also like to if everyone could join me in wishing pro tem Romero Campbell a happy early birthday. Their birthday is on the twenty fifth. And I'd also like to wish councilwoman Parody a happy early birthday because today is March 27. So hope you all have a great birthday week.

Tomorrow, I'd like to ask everyone to stop by Highland Rec Center, 2880 Osceola Street to give feedback and have your voice heard regarding the unlocking housing choices. The goal of this project includes allowing more housing choices and updating design requirements and preserving our existing homes and more. Seeing no other members in the queue, there are I'd also like to welcome council member Hines to the meeting. Thank you. There are no proclamations wait.

There are no presentations. Sorry. There are no communications. There are two proclamations being read at this afternoon. Council member Torres, would you join me in reading proclamation zero three seven eight?

Yes, madam president.

Proclamation commemorating si se puede de. Whereas Dolores Huerta is credited for the rallying cry si se puede, which means, yes, it's possible, or yes, we can. This is the rallying cry that's most closely associated with the United Farm Workers movement, and for many, it has become the empowering cry of multiple generations. And whereas Dolores Huerta was born on 04/10/1930 in Dawson, New Mexico, but spent most of her early life in the Central Valley Of California, where she connected to the worker movement that she would fight tirelessly for, becoming a transformative figure in the farm labor movement. And whereas Dolores Huerta so routinely was spoken in connection with Cesar Chavez must be honored in her own right as an inspirational force because not only did she lead with honor and dignity in pursuit of justice, she did so while being the target of sexual abuse and intimidation.

And whereas Dolores Huerta, Ana Morguilla, and Deborah Ruhas recently broke their silence about the abuse they endured as young girls and young women by Cesar Chavez, we affirm our solidarity with them, recognizing their courage in coming forward and the profound impact of the harm they experienced.

And whereas communities across the country feel the devastation of these accusations and the reality that these powerful women held silence for so long. We turn back to and remember we have the power and responsibility to persist. And whereas Dolores Huerta, a heroine in so to so many and about to turn 96 years old, ensuring her pain also revealed something so important, that it is never too late to tell your truth. And whereas Dolores Huerta will forever be associated with her lifelong fight standing up for farm workers, women, children women, children, immigrants, LGBTQ plus rights, reproductive rights, and all social justice movements, we lift up the many generations who carry forward every moment's mission. Now therefore, it now therefore, be it proclaimed by the Denver City Council that the Denver City Council hereby recognizes March 2026 as that the clerk and recorder of the city And county of Denver shall affix the seal of the city And County of Denver to this proclamation.

Council member Torres, your motion to adopt. I move

that proclamation twenty six dash three seventy eight be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded. Comments by members of council? We'll start with you, councilwoman Torres. Sure.

Thank you so much.

I usually sponsor the proclamation each year, and we're usually also talking about the farm worker movement, how Denver acknowledges and participates in a march and parade, not just about the namesake, but around about all of the people who loved it and the generations of family members that to this day speak to their roots as being family members of farm workers or to what might be happening today to farm workers, to people who provide our meat, our vegetables, our food, everything that we rely upon. Hands have actually grown, cultivated, and mastered each of that cultivation. It was not a question that we would not offer it this year, but also it was, I think, an irresponsible thing for us just to leave a vacuum when there's so much to be said. We are a council of thirteen, nine women, six Latinas and Chicanas, and we have plenty to say about this subject. And even in talking with my husband, we talk about it a lot because I'm also a survivor.

And while not every man may be guilty of having made an advance on a a girl or a woman at some point in their life, every single woman has experienced it. Every single one has experienced an ungranted advance. And it's hard to live with that as a norm, as something that only we have to deal with. So I wanna thank my colleagues. Councilwoman Lewis texted me and said, are we doing something in honor of Dolores?

And I said, we are. So thank you for also thinking of that. And just to all of my colleagues for just being very strong, and this is a pretty shaking moment for a lot of us. And we're still trying to figure out how we absorb it, how we make sense of it, and how we continue to raise up the stories of people who have been violated. So thank you.

Thank you, council. Councilwoman Abidres.

Thank you, council president. Thank you, council Lantuais, for bringing this forward. It has been a very shocking week, but not surprising. Stories like this are something that I've grown up hearing that I've experienced, and we cover up for people. And I think, like councilwoman Torres said, it's something that everyone has ex women have experienced.

And how we rise up in this moment and how that you all have already risen up and reached out to community and realized, like, this isn't an Us decision. This is a we decision, and this is a time where we get to reach in and talk to our elders in the community. Some some of the people at this table have met both Cesar and Dolores. I have met one of them. I haven't I never had that opportunity, but my grandparents were also farm workers.

And they died extremely young because of the working conditions of being a farm worker. My mom was orphaned at the age of six years old. And that's something I think about a lot, how so much work has gone to fight for the working conditions of the people that my parents alone and how we have to continue to fight for the working people today just thinking about the slaughterhouse in Greeley where they are protesting right now for their working conditions. And it's more relevant now than ever. And I think another important thing that I've taken away from this moment is it's never about any one person.

It's never about us as council members or the mayor. It's always about the people, and it's about the people working together to collectively work towards change. And this was a big reminder for me that, you know, this movement is still a great move, and leaders and people in power are not perfect. And how do we hold them accountable? And how do we acknowledge that the people that show up, that work every day, that come and testify, that take time to come to city council, that email us.

The you know, I've gotten many emails just today from constituents concerned about things. Those are the people that are making movement and deciding. Each each and every one of the people watching this right now is someone that is changing our world in a way that you want to see it better, and I hope that we continue to rise to that occasion and hold the men in our communities accountable and call out to a lot of men that reached out to me over the last couple of weeks to talk to me about their feelings or to see how I was feeling. I'm very grateful for the men in my life and and challenge them to call out other men because you've seen it. You hear it when we're not in the room, when we are in the room, how men talk about women, how we get catcalled how you talk first about the way we look than the words that we say than our minds.

I feel like the women all around this table also get criticized for maybe how their hair is or what jewelry they put on. Whereas the men on this table won't have to ever deal with that. And so I really just wanna call out to the men in our community to do better. And if you're doing well, call out the others when they're don't use the bro code. It's time to stand up for the women in your lives more now than ever. And so that's my ask to the community today and my gratitude towards the sponsors, my gratitude towards Zorrodes and other women that spoke up because I know how hard it is and how challenging it is. Thank you. Thank you so much, council president.

Thank you. Thank you, councilman Farris, for coming up with the idea of a proclamation. I'm usually the sponsor in my council district of the Cesar Chavez parade, and my council office has been working on the march since January. We helped get chairs. We helped get the stadium.

We helped get the podium. We helped I helped make sure that it was a historic event back when I was a council aide working for council member Espinosa. I have one of their awards in my office from the Cesar Chavez Peace and Justice Committee. I have their shirt on from 2019 when I got that. And so I think for me, as I said the other day, this is so painful and personal, and we're trying to make some sense of it, which I don't think we're gonna be able to.

And I just wanna acknowledge the group of us who came together last Wednesday. I when I met with the mayor, I said this is not a decision I can make. This isn't a decision you can make. We have to bay space it in community. It when we came up with the the elders around the room said yes.

And when we asked for a press conference, they said yes. So this is rooted in in what we are needing right now is a moment of mourning, and I feel like I lost someone in my life. And at the same time, I think it's important as we've all said that we remember the labor movement and remember what that meant and and it it was built by. It was built by the farm workers who labored in the fields from sunrise to sunset, by families who sacrificed everything so their children could have a better life. My dad was a Tamalero.

My grandpa worked in Karahe meat packing plant in Globeville. My grandma picked pinto beans in Brighton. And when she did, she ended up with cancer. And my two aunts and my uncle who were pinto bean pickers also have cancer. My dad died of pancreatic cancer.

Cancer runs rapid in my side of the family. And I don't I think it has to do with pesticides, them being exposed to pesticides when they were migrant farm workers. And I just wanna say to the organizers of all the movements who risk their safety and to demand fairness and respect that this legacy, as councilwoman Navidro said, it belongs to you all, belongs to us, belongs to the next seven generations. I know I often talk about the seven generations, but it really does belong to the next seven generations. And we will take meaningful action to ensure that values of dignity, safety, and respect guide what comes next.

That's something that I am staying true to. But this proclamation, this this whole experience has been super devastating for me personally and to my family. It's pretty much everyone talks about. And at the same time, I was asking my daughter about this the other day, and she said in certain communities, people don't even know who Cesar Chavez is, but they sure know who the president is. They sure know who Epstein is.

So we have to call out those names as well and hold those individuals accountable because we're taking down a pillar of our community, a brown person, and at the same time, we're not holding other people accountable at the same time. So I just wanna say that out loud as well because it's fascinating how people don't know who our who our heroes are, but we know who the other people are because we're just not talked about in the media as much. I've mentioned that before. So with that, thank you all for hearing this out, and I'm glad that we have like, my shirt says, yes. We can. The time is now. Madam secretary, roll call.

Councilmember Galvides. Aye. Flynn. Aye. Gilmore. Aye. Consalos Gutierrez.

Aye.

Heinz.

Aye.

Cashman? Aye. Lewis? Aye. Parody? Aye. Romero Campbell? Aye. Sawyer? Aye. Torres? Aye. Watson?

Aye.

Madam president Sandoval? Aye. Madam secretary, close the vote and announce the results. 13 ayes. 13 ayes. Proclamation zero three seven eight has been adopted. Council member Torres and I made the decision that we're not gonna ask anyone to come up and accept the proclamation, that we're gonna keep it ourselves, and we're gonna send a copy to Dolores Huerta, and we're gonna send a copy to her foundation and the other foundation that was made in the announcement to help the survivors of the victims. So that's what we'll be doing is we'll be mailing the proclamation out. Council member Gonzales Gutierrez and Hines, would you please read proclamation zero three seven seven?

Proclamation number 26 dash zero three seven seven. A proclamation commit commemorating Naurus. Whereas the Denver City Council recognizes and celebrates Neruz, which commenced on the spring equinox on Friday, 03/20/2026 and is celebrated for thirteen days. And whereas meaning new day in Persian, is an ancient celebration of revival, marking the triumph of light over darkness and the rebirth of spring. Celebrated for millennia, Neruz is an over 3,000 year old celebration observed across many ethno, linguistic, and cultural communities, creating a shared sense of hope and renewal among those who celebrate it.

And whereas Nerudz brings together family and friends through feasts, community festivities, and music. For centuries, on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year, people gather around bonfires jumping over the flames in a ritual that leaves behind the sickness, sorrow, and darkness of the year and welcomes rebirth in the coming year. And whereas the Haftsin table, one of the cult central components of Neru's festivities, is an arrangement of seven symbolic items that begin with a Persian letter s and set forward positive intentions for the new year. Wheat, barley, or lentil sprouts rep represent renewal and growth. Germinated wheat pudding represents abundance and strength.

Dried polyester represents love and wisdom. Garlic represents health and protection against evil. An apple represents beauty and good health. Crushed sumac berries represent the triumph of light over darkness. Vinegar represents age, patience, and wisdom. And

Whereas on the thirteenth and final day of festivities commonly known as nature day, friends and family gather outdoors and and picnic, hoping to cleanse their minds and year of all evil thoughts through joy and laughter. And whereas, Neruz is a unifying celebration that transcends borders, It is celebrated by over 300,000,000 people across Iran. I'm gonna take my time here. Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, and embraced by Kurdish, Turkic, Uighur, Parsi, and Dysporia populations worldwide. The traditions of Norus have prospered for generations adapting to change, conflict, and distance.

The rituals connect people with their heritage and preserve a sense of cultural identity, underscoring their unifying power in our interconnected world. And whereas Naurus symbolizes collective spirit and harmony by bringing together people of different backgrounds, religions, and traditions, We recognize and honor the courage and resistance of immigrants and communities from Naurus celebrating countries who enrich Denver with their traditions, talents, and prevailing hope. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Denver City Council that the Denver City Council hereby recognizes Nodus as a day of renewal, unity, and celebration, and honors those around the world who continue to fight for freedom. Section two, that the clerk and recorder of the City And County Of Denver shall affix the seal of the City And County of Denver to this proclamation.

Thank you. Council member Hines, your motion to adopt.

I move to adopt proclamation twenty six dash zero three seven seven.

Thank you. Comments by members of council? Council member Gonzales Gutierrez.

Thank you,

madam president, and thank you councilman Hines for for joining me on this. I'm really I'm honored to get to read the no notorious proclamation now for a third year in a row. Notorious ushers in spring and encourages encourages us to let go of all of our bad bad thoughts from the previous year and look forward to the promise of the new one. I wish all families celebrating this holiday a happy New Year. Thank you, president.

Councilmember Hanks.

Thank you, madam president. I also wanna thank my colleague, councilmember Gonzales Gutierrez, for for co sponsoring the proclamation and also for the third year in a row sponsoring a an event that was actually held right here in Par Widener. And so actually, not third year in a row. Third year in a row for the proclamation, but but this has been a tradition. I don't think it was last year.

But either way, I I just I think it's amazing that we can we could think beyond our neighborhood, beyond our community, and reach out to others in other communities and learn more about them and break bread and and determine how other humans are not that different than us. So so thank you, council member Gonzalez Gutierrez. Thank you to the to the Persian community for being here today and also at the at the at the event last week. Thank madam president. Thank you.

Miss member Fady?

Yeah. Thank you both so much for bringing this. And I just I just wanted to say that the Persian community has been in my heart so much given what's happening in Iran. I know people are just going through it, worried about folks who are in Iran sometimes. And I just and I know that there's been, you know, many years of if you are someone who still has family there, having a difficult time going home to visit. I know I have friends who are not necessarily in touch with their loved ones, and it's just devastating. And the fact that that is, you know, at the hands of our government is also devastating. I'm so sorry. So, yeah, happy Norus. Hoping for a better year.

Thank you. We now have five minutes for the proclamation acceptance. Council members, who will you be inviting up to accept the proclamation?

Madam president, can you do the roll call?

Oh, sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Madam secretary, roll call.

Council members, Albitarez.

Aye. Flynn. Aye. Gilmore. Gonzales Gutierrez? Aye. Hines?

Aye.

Cashman? Aye. Lewis? Aye. Parity? Aye. Romero Campbell? Aye. Sawyer? Aye. Torres? Aye. Watson? Aye. Madam

president Sandoval? Aye. Madam secretary, close the voting on results.

13 ayes.

13 ayes. Proclamation zero three seven seven has been adopted. Now we have five minutes for the proclamation acceptance. Council members, who will you be inviting up to accept the proclamation?

Yes. I'd like to invite up Reina Haideri, a first generation Arabian American who has worked at the Denver City Attorney's Office as an assistant assistant city attorney for the past five years. Rana also assisted in Denver's No Ruz celebration last week in this very room in Pottweidner. And I also want to invite up Sana Kolke, a first generation Iranian American student at the University of Denver and the author of today's proclamation. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you so much for this meaningful proclamation. I am so honored to receive this proclamation, especially this year in light of everything going on. Persian New Year, as counsel person Hinds said, is about renewal and growth and starting fresh. And I think, especially this year, it is important to know that the people of Iran will persevere and they will, hopefully, this no ruse be able to follow the light and start fresh and just have some renewal in their lives. Pershing New Year is all about family and gathering, and it is one of the most beautiful and, honestly, inclusive holidays.

It is open to everyone, and it was so special to be able to join councilman Hines and councilwoman Gonzales Gutierrez and the mayor in their event on Wednesday last week. And it is really so special to see Nauru celebrated in such a beautiful way.

Hi. Thank you so much for inviting me to accept the Nodus proclamation today. Growing up in Denver, I've always tried my best to share my Persian heritage with others and I'm so humbled to be able to take part in this year's Nodus celebrations. Nodus is one of the oldest and most resilient cultural traditions in the world. And so for it to be recognized by you all today gives me a lot of hope that it's gonna continue to be celebrated for a long time to come. So thank you. Thank you.

You. Madam secretary, please read the bills for introduction.

From the finance and governance committee. 25Dash0934, a bill for an ordinance concerning the approval of a proposed facilities lease number 2026, Colorado Convention Center Fire Alarm Project between Denver Public Facilities Leasing Trust 2026 Colorado Convention Center Fire Alarm Project as lessee of certain real property constituting a portion of the existing Colorado Convention Center and the City And County Of Denver as lessor and a proposed lease project purchase agreement number 2026, Colorado Convention Center Fire Alarm Project between Denver Public Facilities Leasing Trust 2026, Colorado Convention Center Fire Alarm Project as lessor and the City and County of Denver as lessee in conjunction with the issuance of certificates of participation, series twenty twenty six, and documents related thereto authorizing officials of the City and County of Denver to take all actions necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated hereby, ratifying actions previously taken, providing other matters relating thereto, and providing the effective date thereof. And from the South Platte River Committee, twenty six-two ninety two, a bill for an ordinance relinquishing an easement in its entirety reserved in Ordinance No. Three forty seven, series of 1981, recorded with the Denver Clerk and Recorder at Book 2,407, pages two forty one through two forty three, located at two seven seven seven North Zuni Street.

Thank you, madam secretary. Councilmembers, this is your last opportunity to call out an item. Councilmember Flynn, will you make the motions for us this afternoon?

Yes. I will, madam president.

Thank you. Thank you. Now I'll do a recap. Under resolutions, council resolution zero two four one has been called out for comment and a vote by council member Alvidrez. Under bills for introductions, no items have been called out. Under bills for final consideration, no items have been called out. Under pending, no items have been called out. Madam secretary, please put the first item on our screens. Council resolution zero two for one, a resolution approving a proposed secondary a second amendatory agreement between the city and county of Denver and point b, strategies, LLC, to provide grant writing services to the city agencies. Council member Flynn, would you please put council resolution zero two four one on the floor for adoption?

Yes. I will. Thank you, madam president. I move that council resolution 26 dash zero two four one be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded. Comments by members of council. Council member Alvidrez. Actually,

just had a question around why we decided reduce this service when it seems like we need grants more than ever. Can you just

introduce yourself for the record?

Hi. Carolina Flores, department of finance. Councilwoman Alvarez, I missed

the last part of your question.

It looks like we're reducing the amount of services we can provide for the departments to apply for grants. And I'm curious why the need to apply for more grants right now. So I was curious just what was the decision there? That's a

great question.

We've reduced the contract scope just to right size it and eliminate the retainer that was in the contract. So instead of paying for the retainer going forward, we will not pay for the retainer going forward.

Okay. That makes sense. Thank you. Thank you.

Madam secretary, we'll call on council resolution zero two four one.

Council members, Alvideres.

Aye. Flynn. Aye. Gilmore. Gonzales Gutierrez. Aye. Hines.

Aye.

Cashman. Aye.

Lewis. Aye. Parody. Aye. Romero Campbell. Aye. Sawyer. Aye. Suarez. Aye. Watson. Aye.

Madam president Sandoval.

Aye. Madam secretary, close the voting, announce the results. 13 ayes. 13 ayes. Council resolution zero two four one has been adopted. This concludes the items to be called out. All bills for introduction are ordered published. Council members, remember that this is a consent or block vote, and you will need to vote aye. Otherwise, this is your last chance to call out an item for a separate vote. Council member Flynn, will you please put the resolutions for adoption and the bills and final consideration for final passage on the floor?

Yes, madam president. Thank you. I move that the resolutions be adopted and bills on final consideration be placed upon final consideration and do pass in a block for the following items. All appear to be 26. Two thirty nine, two forty. Clunky clunky process here. Two two forty one. Well, I can't wait to get back in chambers. Two forty two. 301. 302. 30325231.

Thank you. Can I speak?

232233238236144225234205204.

Thank you. It has been moved and seconded. Madam secretary, roll call.

Members, Albitrez?

Aye. Flynn? Aye. Gilmore? Aye. Gonzales Gutierrez? Aye. Heinz? Aye. Cashman? Aye. Lewis? Aye. Parody? Aye. Romero Campbell?

Aye.

Sawyer? Aye. Torres? Aye. Watson? Aye. Madam president Sandoval?

Aye. Madam secretary, so the voting announce the

results. 13 ayes.

13 ayes. The resolutions have been adopted, and the bills have been placed upon final consideration and do pass. Tonight, there will be a courtesy public hearing on council resolution zero two four six approving a contract with Axon Enterprise Inc for 150,000 with an end date of 03/31/2027 to provide an automatic automatic license plate reader recognition, ALPR system that includes 50 cameras at the the necessary hardware, software, and additional equipment citywide. If there are no objections from members of council, we will recess until 05:30. Before convening the regular meeting, city council will provide a half hour general public comment session to hear from the public on city matters except for any matter that is scheduled for a legally required public hearing.

The general public comment session will begin at 5PM.

Hey, Denver. Here's what's happening around the mile high this week. The fifty two eighty Jazz Orchestra is Denver's hottest new big band, igniting the scene with electrifying energy and top tier musicianship. This powerhouse ensemble was born from their passion for big band jazz and a desire to bring it roaring back to life. Charlie from Brews Beers and a representative from So Damn Gooda Cheese Shop will walk you through this amazing guided pairing of four brews beers and four different cheeses.

So damn good, it will also be bringing extra cheese and accompaniments for you to purchase and take home as well. Laugh your craft off is a series of craft workshops where you can make things with artists while comedians tell jokes. Transform simple sheets of metal in strands of color for wire into vibrant handcrafted flower pins. Brighten up your your favorite jackets, spruce up a tote bag, or create a thoughtful gift for a friend. Get ready, Denver.

Bol of Zoley returns to celebrate pozole, classic Mexican cuisine, and vibrant top shelf agave spirits. Get ready to be served up traditional and innovative takes on pozole and classic Mexican cuisine from the city's top chefs and restaurants alongside more than 300 vibrant agave spirits. It's spring break already. If you don't know what to do with the kids or yourself, check out one of Denver's rec centers. Sign ups for spring activities are open now.

So learn something new like snowshoeing, climbing, or painting. There's something for everyone. It's finally here. The new Denver Summit Football Club's inaugural game is happening at Empower Field. Tickets at Empower Field are sold out, but there are watch parties all around town where you can help cheer on Denver's newest soccer team.

Step inside Meow Wolf Denver for a one of a kind yoga experience that moves you through the elements, earth, water, fire, air, and ether, this class invites you to ground, flow, ignite, expand, and dissolve into spacious awareness. Stay up to date with what's happening in Denver by following our socials, and you can always ask our chatbot, Sunny, online or by text.

Will not be recycled.

Another thing we see in our daily routine is overflow cardboard boxes or recycling material. We see bags on the side of the carts, huge piles of boxes along the side of the cart. Those won't be picked up. We pick up about 900 to 1,200 carts a day. It slows down the process of us having to get out and break it down. The city and county of Denver, they allow you an extra recycle cart. Just call 311 and they'll have no problem with getting another cart out to you. So that way you can put all of your recycling and make sure that it goes to the right place.

At the GFL Environmental Recycling Facility, we process between six hundred and seven hundred tons of recyclables per day. Out of that, about a 160 tons comes directly from the city and county of Denver. We recover approximately 90% of all the material that comes through. The other 10% are items that are either too small or too heavily contaminated to capture, or they were prohibitive to begin with. The ballistic separator uses a paddling motion to separate separate paper from containers.

The paddling motion as well as gravity caused the three-dimensional containers to roll backwards and be reclaimed on the container line while the paper flows forward and up where it was captured on the paper fiber line. The optical sorter uses a specific type of light to detect different types of materials. This.

To we excited about

do area. Clark is our AMP robotics

And a things seeing the and

And we're separator creates reverse magnetism that causes aluminum cans to be propelled off of the conveyor and into the correct bend. This is an ingenious way to sort all the aluminum cans that pass over the eddy current. Look closely and you can see the cans jumping off the conveyor. Once the items have been sorted into each type of commodity, our balers compact value We We our customers. A 7,000 cans in it.

Once materials are baled, they're ready to be shipped to factories, processed, and made into new products.

Are we past tipping points? That is a very big question because what I see is that humanity, especially right now, we have been very bad at living within our means. I think that question really depends on people. It doesn't really depend on how much water there is or isn't in Colorado.

Growth is gonna continue in the West. So water for municipal use is much more valuable than water for agricultural use. I think that's why you're seeing a lot of buy and dry, where they're buying up farms and moving that water to the city. You can support much more humans on an acre foot of water than you can agriculture.

So there's a lot of pressure on agriculture to change and to move. There's a lot of pressure just in terms of people wanting those resources, both the land and the water for a different purpose.

We in this community, Denver, need to understand that we've been drying up farms that produce food and fuel to sustain our life so we can plant bluegrass. Because bluegrass uses about the same amount of water as crops.

If you

came from outer space and

Sixth. We look forward to hearing from you again, and thank you for attending.

On this episode of How To Denver, how to start a podcast here at Denver Community Media. Do you and your friends have great ideas for conversations and more people should hear them? Check out the state of art podcast studio at Denver Community Media. Memberships get you access to equipment, space, and expertise from their staff to help you start your media empire. Go online to denvercommunitymedia.org to learn more and sign up.

Once enrolled, learn how to script, plan, produce, and record your very own podcast. The knowledgeable staff can help you at any point and offer guidance to make sure you are making professional content. In fact, I recorded this from inside their studio. Thanks for watching. And if there are any city services you want to learn how to take advantage of, leave a comment down below.

Do you live in Denver? We know you wanna stay updated on all the things that make our city great. Sign up for the Denver Local, a newsletter with all the info you need from your local government in one place. Signing up is easy at denvergov.org/denverlocal. You can also follow elevating Denver for exclusive video content on our YouTube channel and broadcast on Denver channel eight, Tuesdays at 7PM. Connect to your city. Connect with community with the Denver local and elevating Denver.

In Denver, the road most traveled is full of potholes. Fear not worry, traveler. Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is ready to fix the problem. To report a pothole, call 311 or go online at pocketgov.org. Click on the button, report a problem, fill out the quick questionnaire, and within seventy two hours, crews will be sent to fix the problem. Call 311 or go online at pocketgov.org. Your time is valuable. That's why we're making it even easier to do business with the city. Just check out our new online services hub. One click, and you'll find a world of services at your fingertips.

Question about street sweeping? Check. Trash collection schedules? Check. Report an issue in your neighborhood? You bet that's a check. You can even find out where the snow plows are in your area. So don't spend time searching. Just check out our one stop shop at the online services hub at denvergov.org.

In this episode of How To Denver, we'll show you how to find and enroll in a class at a Denver recreation center. Denver's 30 recreation centers offer a variety of classes and activities for all ages and skill levels, including swim lessons, personal training, and adaptive cooking classes. To locate rec center near you, visit denvergov.org/recreation. To start, click on activities. Make sure you're in the current season.

Then browse the online activity guide for a list of available classes and activities by either location or program area. Next, head to the online service center and log in to your account. If you don't have an account yet, creating one is quick and easy. Be sure to check the age restrictions and location. When you're ready, click enroll and select the participant. Have your payment information handy as classes fill up quickly. Thanks for watching. And if there are any city services you want to learn how to take advantage of, leave a comment down below.

Denver's Hawk Crosswalk signals are helping us cross streets more safely. Just press the button to activate the flashing yellow warning lights so drivers are alerted to slow down and stop, giving pedestrians a safe way to cross. Visit denvergov.org/visionzero.

On this episode of How To Denver, how to adopt or surrender an animal from the Denver Animal Shelter. Adopting an animal can be one of the best and happiest decisions you make. To see a full list of animals available for adoption, visit denvergov.org/animalshelter. Adoptions happen frequently, so if there's an animal you're interested in, visit the shelter in person to see if that animal is right for you. When you arrive for a visit, you will need to provide documentation with a current address.

The shelter also recommends a consultation to make sure the animal you're interested in will be a good fit. Adoption fees include the cost to spay or neuter, as well as necessary vaccinations and a one year pet license. Both dogs and cats need to be licensed in the city. Fees vary, and you can check the shelter website for more information. This page also displays lost pets if you're looking for your fur baby that has gone missing.

If you need to surrender an animal, whether it's your pet and your circumstances have changed or if you found an animal and you're not sure what to do with it, you can bring it to shelter anytime. There's also an after hours kennel available that will keep the animals safe until staff arrives in the morning. Thanks for watching, and make sure you subscribe for more how to videos like this. And if there are any city services you want to learn how to take advantage of, leave a comment down below. On this how to Denver, how to sign up for a My Denver card.

A My Denver card is for Denver residents ages five to 18 and unlocks a wide range of benefits and features. More on that in a moment, but first, getting your hands on a My Denver card is very easy. You can register online at denvergov.org slash my Denver card. Click online service center and fill out the necessary form. Cards will not be mailed, so you will need to go into a rec center to pick up

the

card. Cards can be picked up at 28 of Denver's 30 rec centers. Just see someone at the front desk to provide some brief information, then after a quick photo, you'll be all set with your new card. Once you have your card, that's when things get exciting. The card replaces a library card and can be used to access Idea Labs, get homework assistance, or just check out books at any Denver Public Library branch.

Your MyDenver card also gets you access to any Denver Rec Center in addition to a wide range of programs. Find out more at Denver Gov Dot Org Slash Recreation. And lastly, show your MyDenver at the zoo, botanic gardens, or any museum for possible discounts or even free admission. Restrictions and limitations vary for each site. Thanks for watching, and make sure you subscribe for more how to videos like this. And if there are any city services you want to learn how to take advantage of, of, leave a comment down below.

Your time is valuable. That's why we're making it even easier to do business with a city. Just check out our new online services hub. One click, and you'll find a world of services at your fingertips. Question about street sweeping? Check. Trash collection schedules? Check. Report an issue in your neighborhood? You bet that's a check. You can even find out where the snow plows are in your area. So don't spend time searching. Just check out our one stop shop at the online services hub at denvergov.org.

Hey, Denver. Here's what's happening around the mile high this week. The fifty two eighty Jazz Orchestra is Denver's hottest new big band, igniting the scene with electrifying energy and top tier musicianship. This powerhouse ensemble was born from their passion for big band jazz and a desire to bring it roaring back to life. Charlie from Bruce and a representative from So Damn Gooda Cheese Shop will walk you through this amazing guided pairing of four brews beers and four different cheeses.

So Damn Gooda will also be bringing extra cheese and accompaniments for you to purchase and take home as well. Laugh your craft off is a series of craft workshops where you can make things with artists while comedians tell jokes. Transform simple sheets of metal and strands of wire into vibrant handcrafted flower pins. Brighten up your favorite jacket, spruce up a tote bag, or create a thoughtful gift for a friend. Get ready, Denver.

Bol of Zoley returns to celebrate pozole, classic Mexican cuisine, and vibrant top shelf agave spirits. Get ready to be served up traditional and innovative takes on pozole and classic Mexican cuisine from the city's top chefs and restaurants alongside more than 300 vibrant agave spirits. It's spring break already. If you don't know what to do with the kids or yourself, check out one of Denver's rec centers. Sign ups for spring activities are open now.

So learn something new like snowshoeing, climbing, or painting. There's something for everyone. It's finally here. The new Denver Summit Football Club's inaugural game is happening at Empower Field. Tickets at Empower Field are sold out, but there are watch parties all around town where you can help cheer on Denver's newest soccer team. Step inside Meow Wolf Denver for a one of a kind yoga experience that moves you through the elements, earth, water, fire, air, and ether. This class invites you to ground, flow, ignite, expand, and dissolve into spacious awareness.

Hey, Denver. It's time for the weekly general session of your Denver City Council. Tonight's coverage of Denver City Council starts now.

Are we live? Oh. Sorry. Hi, everyone. Caught me off guard. Council will now reconvene from our earlier session. There is no unfinished business from the earlier session. There is one proclamation being read this evening. Council member Lewis, would you read would you please read proclamation zero three eight zero?

Yes. A proclamation honoring the Be Well and Wellness Initiative. Whereas for twenty three years, the Be Well Health and Wellness initiative, as an initiative of the foundation for sustainable urban communities, has advanced health equity and community wellness across Denver by addressing the root causes of health disparities disparities through policy, systems change, and built environment strategies. And whereas, Be Well has engaged and served more than 50,000 Denver residents through community forums, health and resource health and resource share fairs, neighborhood walking audits, policy, work groups, and wellness events designed to increase access to services and amplify resident voice. And whereas through cross sector partnerships with schools, small businesses, health care providers, local non profits, and city agencies, Be Well has coordinated impactful community events, connected families to critical resources, including food access, housing supports, and health services, and strengthened collaboration across sectors serving historically under resourced neighborhoods.

And whereas, Be Well has convened policy work groups and trained community leaders and block captains to identify barriers within the built environment and advocate for equitable solutions that improve safety, access, and opportunity. And whereas the initiative programs, including the face the moment and community driven wellness campaigns, have helped mobilize residents, elevate lived experience, and inform policies that promote long term neighborhood vitality. And whereas, be well center family centers families, particularly children in historically marginalized communities, recognizing that healthy communities are built not only through programs, but through sustained systems change, accountability, and collective responsibility. And whereas the leadership and staff of BWILL demonstrate a deep commitment to collaboration, transparency, and measurable impact, ensuring that community voice meaningful meaningfully shapes the direction of the work. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Denver City Council section one that the Denver City Council therefore recognizes and honors the Be Well Health and Wellness Initiative for twenty three years of advancing health equity and serving more than 50,000 residents across Denver.

And section two, be it further proclaimed that the council celebrates BWELL's ongoing commitment to building a Denver where every resident regardless of ZIP code has the opportunity to live in a safe, healthy, and con safe, healthy, and connected community.

Thank you. Council member Lewis, your motion to adopt.

I move that proclamation twenty three zero three eight zero be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded. Comments by members of council. Council member Lewis.

Thank you. I'm excited to see all of you in the audience. I had the pleasure of working with Be Well for quite some time. I think it's probably over a decade at this point, and you all do incredible work in the community. It's truly grassroots work that you all do with getting folks, block captains in particular, to to work on issues that are important for them.

And I just have a deep appreciation for you all and the work that you continue to do and wanted to elevate your name from the work that you all are doing for the rest of the community to be able to know about the the work that you are doing across Denver and Aurora, quite frankly. So thank you all so much for your commitment, pouring into our communities, for loving our communities, for loving our families, and for showing up and minding the gap when I know it can sometimes be difficult. Thank you. Thank you. You.

Madam secretary, roll call.

Council members Hines. Sawyer.

Aye.

Albidres?

Aye.

Flynn? Aye.

Gilmore? Aye. Gonzales Gutierrez? Aye. Cashning? Aye. Lewis? Aye. Parody? Aye. Romero Campbell? Aye. Torres? Aye. Watson? Aye.

Madam president Sandoval? Aye. Madam secretary, close the voting and announce the results.

12 ayes.

12 ayes. Proclamation zero eight zero three eight zero has been adopted. We now have five minutes for the proclamation acceptance. Council member Lewis, who will you be inviting up to accept the proclamation?

I will be inviting all of them up to accept the proclamation, but only one person is speaking. So if you all could come so I can get

a cute little picture of y'all.

Y'all look good. Thank you.

Hello. My name is Alicia Brown. I am the senior vice president for the Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities, and I serve as the executive director of the Be Well Health and Wellness Initiative. I am honored today to have received this recognition from Diversity Council. Thank you so much to Councilwoman Chantelle Lewis for always supporting us and for being there for us throughout the good and the bad times as we're advocating and encouraging decisions and opportunities for the communities that we serve as well as when we're celebrating when those things pass.

I also wanna say thank you to councilwoman Gilmore who has also worked with us for many, many years as well. We're in the Northeast Denver area, and we also work in Aurora. But we're really excited. You see here with me today are some of our staff, Sam Valeriano, who is our policy manager, as well as Shalon Bowens, who is who was formerly a block captain but was hired by BWELL to be a program coordinator for us. I think Duana Harvell is next to me.

She's our director of special and innovative projects. Ty Crawford I'm looking to see who's behind me. Ty Crawford, who is our director of the Be Well Centers and our Be Well Youth Program, Sherita Huttnal, who is the director of our community engagement and Be Well Bloc Captain program, Rob Crosby, who serves as the chair of our Be Well Health and Wellness Initiatives Advisory Board, and Willie Clark. Clark, I'm sorry, who is a block captain for Be Well. And we're really excited.

Did I miss anybody? We're really excited to be here and to accept this honor on behalf of the Be Well Health and Wellness Initiative. We couldn't do it without leaders like yourselves in our community to listen to us, to listen to the residents that are in our communities, and to really work hard to serve the community of Denver, the city and county of Denver, especially Northeast Denver, where we know that there are many opportunities for us to improve and to help our city grow. So, I just wanna say thank you. I really appreciate each and every one of you, and I hope that to have your continued support.

Is B Well will be becoming its own organization. We are filing to become our own five zero one c three, and we are excited about it and would love to continue to have your support and to continue to support the city and county of Denver.

Thank you.

Here you

go. Thank you. Yes. We

have one public hearing tonight. As a reminder, council members need to turn on their video during the vote. Due to room capacity and to comply with the fire code maximum occupancy requirements, we respectfully ask that if after you have delivered your remarks, please leave the room in order to allow more participants to enter. And if you are city staff, you can go into the committee room to make room for all of the people who need to come because we have a huge group of people in the overflow room. So you can go right next door to committee.

If you're here from the city and county of Denver, I just ask that you go into committee. For those participating in person, when called upon, please come to the podium. On the presentation monitor on the wall, you will see your time counting down. For those participating virtually when called upon, please listen to our meeting host to speak to speaker. When you are promoted, please accept the promotion. Turn on your camera if you have one and your microphone. All speakers should begin their remarks by telling the council their names and cities of residence, and if they could feel comfortable doing so, their home addresses. If you have signed up to answer questions only, state your name and note that you are available for questions of council. Speakers will have three minutes. There is no yielding of time.

If translation is needed, you will be given an additional three minutes for your comments to be interpreted. Speakers must stay on the topic of the hearing and must direct their comments to counsel as a whole. Please refrain from profane or obscene speech and refrain from individual or personal attacks. Council member Flynn, will you please put council resolution zero two four six approving a contract with Axon Enterprise Inc for 150,000 with an end date of 03/31/2027 to provide an automatic license plate recognition system that includes 50 cameras and the necessary hardware, software, and additional equipment citywide on the floor for adoption?

Yes, madam president. I move that council resolution 26 dash zero two four six be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded. The courtesy public hearing for council resolution zero two four six is open. Could we have the staff report, and then I'll make the announcement?

Sure. Okay.

Or do you wanna make the announcement first? Wanna make the announcement first?

I didn't know we had a staff report.

Do wanna sure. Yeah? Hold on. Hold on, Tim. We have an announcement by council member Flynn, and then we'll have the staff depart.

I just wanna let the public know that at the end of the at the end of the public hearing when it closes and before the debate and the vote, that I'm going to delay final action on this for one week under rule 3.6. Just so everybody's aware of that. Thank you.

And under rule 3.6, just so the public doesn't know all our council rules, we don't have to vote on that. Any council member at any time can enact rule 3.6 on a contract, and it delays the vote for one week from this week to the following week. And anyone any one of us, meaning any 13 of us, can enact enact that rule. Now we may we have the staff report?

Yes. Thank you, council president. Thank you, members of Denver City Council. My name is Tim Hoffman. I am in the mayor's office.

I serve as his director of policy we are here tonight to be discussing the axon license plate reader contract before you couple of let's see that's not going to work No. It's not.

You're sitting right there on the floor. K. Awesome.

Tim, thank you. Thanks, Tim. Okay. Thank you, council president. Thank you, members of Denver City Council.

As I said, I'm here to give a staff presentation on resolution twenty six zero two four six. This would be a one year, dollars 150,000 contract with Axon to provide 50 stationary cameras that would be deployed across the City And County Of Denver. 50 stationary cameras, for reference, would be a more than half size reduction from the current vendor with 111 cameras at over 70 locations. So one of the things that we have certainly heard from community members around this type of technology is that it constitutes either mass surveillance or the ability to continuously track individuals around the City And County Of Denver. With 50 cameras, that yields less than 20 actual locations spread across the city and county.

Those would all be on arterial or main streets, not in any sort of neighborhood streets or other places. So, with less than 20 locations spread across spread across the city, it the concern around the ability to continuously track, it's just not something that this this number of cameras would allow us to do. Wanted to explain a little bit as to why license plate reader cameras in the city and county of Denver matter. What they have yielded in the less than two years that we've had them deployed. It's helped us recover over 400 stolen vehicles, helped us return those stolen vehicles to individuals of this community who, for a number of days or sometimes weeks, didn't have access to that mode of transportation.

It's allowed us to get those cars back. It's allowed us to take over 60 firearms off the street. It's led to any number of arrests for a range of crimes from motor vehicle theft up to and including homicide. In 2025 alone, license plate reader technology played a role in over 40% of all of the homicides that we saw in the city last year. That is why this type of technology has become used in cities across The United States. It's located in New York. It's located in San Francisco. It's located in Los Angeles. It's in Charlotte. It is in thousands of jurisdictions, including almost every single major city across this country.

But, we also know that with the current federal administration, concerns that the mayor has, that the city council has, that members of the community have, should be addressed. And, that's what we have done with this new Axon contract. What we are proposing with this Axon contract is one of the most robust contracts in terms of safeguards and guardrails that would exist in any of those cities that exist across this country. What we heard when we talked to you all as council members, to members of the community, and the concerns that the mayor had were around who has access to this data, how secure is that data, and under what circumstances would that data be shared with outside parties. And what we have tried to do with this contract and what I believe, and what the mayor believes we have done is to address those major concerns that we've heard over the last year.

First and foremost, access to the Axon license plate information is going to be limited to Denver safety personnel only. There isn't a national lookup feature. There's not a pooled or shared network where this data will exist. It will just be Denver police and other safety personnel who have the ability to access it. There are explicit provisions across the contract that make it clear that Denver owns and controls its own data.

That means no AI training using Denver's data. That means no selling or transferring of this data to any third party, period. In the event that there was a subpoena or a legal warrant issued, the company has made it clear, and it's also spelled out in explicit detail in the contract, that they would refer that subpoena or legal demands to the city so that we could fight it if it was against something that the city stands for. Axon of the vendors who applied for this contract has the highest level data security that exists. It's called FedRAMP High.

That's the same type of level that's the same level of security that is used to store some of our most sensitive health care information. We have also reduced the retention policy from thirty days to twenty one days. That was a direct reflection of some of the things that the mayor heard from community members, from members of this council, from the Surveillance Technology Task Force. There is a very robust logging and auditing of all of the searches that take place. Denver Police Department, in conjunction with the city attorney's office and technology services, will do regular checks to make sure that this data is being used properly.

I already mentioned that there's no AI training or use of our data, period, full stop. There will be no material update done to this system by Axon as a company that we don't get to vet in advance and either sign off on or not. There's also a rapid notification of any breach of the system that were to occur. It's a lengthy contract that we have provided you. I appreciate the time and the manner in which you all have approached reviewing that contract, asking the questions in several of the committees.

I also just want to take a moment. This is a contentious issue, and there are any number of people sitting at the dais, sitting in this room today who have strong opinions one way or the other on this technology. And we and the mayor appreciate and hear those concerns. And we aren't in the world that we were in a year ago. We aren't even in world we were in a couple of months ago in terms of what we've seen out of this federal government and some of the terrifying things that they have done across this country.

What we have done with this contract is try to balance the very real benefit to public safety that it provides with the very legitimate privacy and civil liberty considerations that the mayor shares, that you all as members of council share, and that these community members have shared. So whether or not you at the dais or the folks here today agree or disagree with this exact proposal, what we have attempted to do, what has been the guiding light for the mayor and his administration throughout this entire process, is to make sure that we, yes, get to take advantage of this tool, which has helped us reduce crime in Denver, and making sure that we have robust safeguards and guardrails in place so that some of the concerns that have been raised by this council, by the community, aren't realized. Thank you.

What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna call the five first speakers up. So if we have anyone in the overflow room, they can come in and speak. We're gonna have Dawn Kuhn, Katie Leonard, David Wasserman Dave Wasserman, David Howard, and Doctor. Lisa Calderon. First Don.

Can you hear me?

Yes, sir. Go ahead.

Thanks for letting me speak about this. I live my name is Don Ku, and I live in Downtown Denver. And I just wanted to express my support for the Axon contract. As Tim mentioned, I I do believe it's been helpful in solving a number of crimes. And my my understanding is that, you know, ALPRs have been used in all 25 of the top 25 largest cities across The US as well as all 25 of the safest cities across The US. So so it seems like a solution like this would be a win for Denver, and I hope you approve the contract.

Thank you. Next, deputy Katie Leonard.

My name is Katie Leonard. I was born and raised here in this beautiful city, and I am urging you all to vote no on the Axon contract. The mayor has not engaged his constituents, community organizations, or even his own surveillance task force in the development of this contract. I need you all to sit with the gravity of what you're being asked to vote on. We're not talking about super safe, super research technology.

We're here talking about a technology that even Axon's own AI ethics board has said is not sufficiently regulated to protect people's constitutional rights. Any argument, and there have been many from the mayor's office and DPD, any argument based on selective anecdotal stories about what ALPR cameras have helped is a MAGA esque non sequitur. These anecdotes are dangerous and illogical. There's a four percent chance that ALPRs will help someone get a stolen car back in Denver. We know that.

And, a 100% chance that AOPRs will degrade all of our constitutional rights, which makes all of us less safe in one of the most fundamental ways possible, especially under the current administration. Mayor Johnson is trying to convince you that our data will be safe with Axon, which is just wrong and, quite frankly, out of touch. The Trump administration has shown us time and time again that if this surveillance data exists, they will do everything in their power to get it. And Axon and the Trump administration are buddy buddy. Axon is making record profits from Trump's mass terror campaign on immigrants right now.

They actually have a wing of their company called DHS Program and Strategy, and they hired former ICE director, Ronald Vitiello, to run it. Do you all really think our data will be safe with a company that hired a former ICE director as an executive? The people of Denver are not stupid. We learn, and we don't forget. The flaw contract fiasco made it clear that mayor Johnston is not showing up or working for the people of Denver.

Tonight, you all have the opportunity to show us if you, like the mayor, are henchmen for multibillion dollar corporations like Axon, or if you will be resolute, thorough, and fight for your constituents when it matters most. I'll close with this. This isn't just about ALPR cameras or data sharing. If we allow these conversations to be isolated and constrained to talking about individual contracts or single technologies, we will miss the forest for the trees. We will be fast tracked to a future where we're all living in an AI powered police state facilitated by a private multibillion dollar company.

We have to look at the big picture. We have to put our foot down and get real regulation in place to protect what semblance of democratic freedoms we have left. For immigrants, for trans people, for women seeking reproductive care, for people of color, for the protection of all of your constituents constitutional rights, vote no on the act.

Thank you. Next up, we have Dave Wasserman. Dave? Do we know if Dave's in the overflow room? We only have an hour. So if you speak and you could step out and go watch the rest in the overflow room, I I can't excite I literally only have an hour. So me doing this, I'll I waste time. So I'm trying to be as efficient as possible. I'll call Dave Wasserman one more time because we can't we can only have so many people in here according to our rules our fire code. Next up, we have David Howard.

Thank you. I'm here today to represent the regular citizens of Denver, the people who want to live in a safe and clean neighborhood. I'm outnumbered in this building today, being in favor of the contract, but probably not in the city. The the one of the primary jobs of city government is to protect our rights to freedom and prosperity. And when somebody infringes on those rights, the city needs to enforce the law. When perpetrators go unpunished, then Denverites continue to be victims. The ALPRs are very effective. You've heard some of that testimony already. You'll hear a little bit more. Behind the statistics you've heard are actual human beings who have already suffered.

Of the thirty eight murders in Denver last year, 12 didn't even involve cars. And of the ones that did, the ALPRs provided vital evidence in 16 of them. That's pretty good. They were also used to convict a serial rapist and solve violent road rage murders. Yes, they help after the crime is committed. But each time an ALPR is used to apprehend a suspect, we're preventing the next crime. We're protecting the future victims whom these perpetrators would have attacked next. This is especially true with auto theft. Car thieves are rarely one time offenders. They're serial thieves, and the ALPR system has been instrumental in getting victims of stolen cars their vehicles back faster.

When a vehicle's stolen, a regular citizen loses his lifeline to get to work. By identifying and arresting these people quickly, we prevent other Denver families from losing their transportation and their financial stability. The loss of the system would be a major reduction in Denver's ability to bring justice to those who have suffered and to protect those who haven't been targeted yet. Dropping from a 110 cameras down to only 50 is already a setback. To drop to zero would be a failure of our duty as, as a city to public safety.

The mayor and the police put the proper privacy procedures in place. Please heed their requests and the requests of the district attorney and the mayors of the 25 safest cities and the mayors of the 25 largest cities and approve the Axon contract. Thank you.

Is Dave Wasserman here? No?

Doctor Lisa Calderon? Good evening, counsel. I'm doctor Lisa Calderon, and I'm here to urge you to vote no on the Axon contract. Before you vote on this company with public tax dollars, you really should know who Axon really is and what they funded. Axon was formerly known as Taser International.

They changed their name in 2017, not because they changed their values, but because as their own CEO admitted, the Taser name was distracting from their effort to sell body cams and data collection services to police departments. A rebrand does not erase a record. Here's their record. Axon, when it was taser, became one of the primary corporate forces behind the spread of a diagnosis called excited delirium. This term was invented in the 1980s by a forensic pathologist named Charles Wetley, who used it to explain the deaths of black women in Miami, who were later discovered to be victims of a serial killer.

Wetley continued promoting the theory anyway, claiming black men and women were genetically predisposed to cocaine induced delirium, a claim rooted in racism. Taser International, now Axon, took that theory and industrialized it. They funded research. They distributed literature. They paid for books promoting the diagnosis.

They trained police departments across the country to use this language. They embedded it into medical examiner reports and courtrooms as a shield against accountability when people died after being tased or restrained. The result, in the murders of both George Floyd and Elijah McClain, police used excited delirium in their defense to justify their murders. It is invoked disproportionately in the deaths of young black men. It attributes death not to police use of force, but to the victim's own body, a racist legacy of slavery.

Numerous medical associations have all disavowed it. Physicians for human rights called it racist pseudoscience built on tropes of black people having superhuman strength and being impervious to pain. Axon knew this history, and they amplified it anyway. Because it protected their product from liability every time someone died after being tased. Now they want a contract from the city and county of Denver to put their technology throughout our streets, our streets.

Denver has made commitments to racial equity and police accountability. Awarding this contract would contradict those commitments. It would send a message that a company can spend decades providing for the killing of black people in custody, than simply change its name and collect a city check. I urge you to vote no. Do not reward Axon Enterprise with its racist history with Denver taxpayer dollars. Thank you.

Tony Frey, Marilyn Ackerman, Sally Jones, Dana Miller, and Craig Arfstin Arfstin. First up, Tony.

Counsel, what are

we doing this evening? Thank you for putting,

this public speaking, opportunity together for all of us here. I live in the West Colfax neighborhood, and I'm active in my local r and l. And, I'll I'll add that our, city local city council office in the mayor's outreach office does a fantastic job of keeping a pulse of what the what the what is on top of mind for the community, including hot topics like this one related to the Axon license plate reader contract, which I I would try to persuade you to be in support of. So I align with the concerns raised by other Denverites about privacy and and and some of the notes about the technology as it relates to public safety. This contract, as I understand, has clear language that Denver owns its own data, that there are strict prohibitions against the data being accessed outside of Denver, that there are prohibitions of the use of AI, that there's no sale or transfer of of this data.

There's requirements by the city to review and approve or not of any new big changes related to this system. APLR technology has provided evidence and helped us recover over 400 vehicles and 63 firearms. It's also provided evidence of nearly 40% of homicides investigations in 2025 alone. So I believe that there are robust safeguards for this technology. I believe it adds value to the city from a safety perspective, and I I support the the the moving forward of the Axon contract, and I hope you do as well. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Next up, we have Marilyn Ackerman.

Good evening, president Sandoval and city council members. Thank you for this public testimony time. My name is Marilyn Ackerman.

I am a

member of Montview Presbyterian Church and together Colorado Denver chapter. I live in Central Park, Council District 8. Mayor Johnston and president Sandoval had the painful job of canceling our Cesar Chavez parade, holiday, and anything associated with his name here in Denver last week. I applaud them for pivoting to celebrating the Chicano and Latino organizers in the struggle by renaming the day Si Se Puera Day, Yes We Can, and Si Se Puera on so many things, like pausing this Axon contract. The mayor's own surveillance task force should have time to review the new contract and provide critical ex expert input.

The rush timing of this contract shuts out the community oversights that the mayor committed to on this most important issue. It would be another mistake on the mayor's part without the community input we were all promised when he became mayor. Because of this, Together Colorado signed the task force and community organizations letter this morning to ask you to vote no tonight. I understand you won't be voting tonight, but we still want you to listen and pause. Pause any surveillance contracts until your questions and concerns are addressed, and there is a comprehensive policy about surveillance in Denver that is rooted in accountability and transparency.

Yes. We can. You've heard our public safety vision statement from Together Colorado many times. It applies here tonight. As people of faith, we believe community is built on relationships of mutual respect, love, understanding, compassion, honesty, and justice.

We believe that safe communities are communities in which we take care of each other, value knowing and trusting one another, and share a common understanding that we need each other. Because we need to take care of each other, we cannot trust these large for profit corporations to keep our data safe. The technology is far ahead of the human safeguards that we want to believe in. Si se puede. We must protect those who are afraid to voice their concerns here tonight in public.

As a white privileged retired person of faith who has housed and protected two asylum seeking immigrants in my home, I am called to be this voice of caution in front of this body tonight. Yes. We can. This process is being rushed. Take a breath. Turn off the flock cameras March. Hood them until they are removed immediately. Then city council, wait for the surveillance task force members to create a surveillance policy that answers our questions and provides guardrails. Pause. Vote no. Yes. We can. Si se puede. Thank you.

Next up, we have Sally Jones.

Hello. My name is Sally Jones and I'm a 56 long resident of District 2. I'm a private person. I don't like having my picture taken in public places. I try not to get my photos shown on any online sites and I'm not too crazy about testifying here today knowing that a camera is filming me. But the reality is that we don't live in a society today where privacy is much of an option. I'm on camera paying for groceries at the checkout lane. Our local King Soopers has a big camera in the parking lot. I'm sure there are cameras at every bank or I ATM. I'm sure I was filmed coming into this building today.

Most large buildings do the same. Many shops use cameras as deterrents from robbery. When I go to classes at Metro State University, I am filmed and must submit an ID at every door on campus. The neighbor behind me has three cameras. One is at the front door to protect the grandma in the family who speaks no English. Another one tracks the raccoons who are intent on destroying their fish pond. The third just views the neighborhood. How many of you have your location service turned active on the phone that you carry everywhere? Someone or something knows where you are at every moment. I can't even back out of my driveway without another neighbor filming me on the camera they installed.

So you might think that I'm against Axon and their license plate reader system, but you'd be wrong. I am for it because it's just a tool. Now I'm sure I was not allowed to bring a hammer into these proceedings, so I brought you a picture. A hammer is a tool in the hands of a competent carpenter. It is valuable. In my hands, not so much. In the hands of a crazed or enraged person, it becomes a lethal weapon. But it's still just a tool. The same can be said of Axon system. It's a tool.

It's your job to make sure it's a valuable one. From what I've read, they've designed the system to counteract the abuses that you're concerned about. That said, the use of the license plate reader system has proven to be a benefit to Denver police in locating hundreds of stolen vehicles and others used in committing other crimes. So I sure so I say, make sure it's a valuable tool and a useful tool, and let's give it a try. I urge you to vote yes. Thank you.

Next up, we have Dana Miller followed by Craig Aft Aftsten.

Hello, everybody. My name is Dana Miller, I am the co lead of Denver's Immigrant Partnership Team. And I would like to pull back about 30,000 feet so that we can look at the bigger picture of what mass surveillance is actually doing to our mental health in this country. When I was considering what to say today, I found myself curious as to what emotional and psychological effects mass surveillance have on the general public. I found an article from 2024 called Exploring the Impact of Security Technologies on Mental Health.

I would like to speak about two of them this evening. One is about heightened anxiety. The awareness of being under surveillance can induce heightened anxiety in individuals. The constant knowledge that their actions, like Sally was talking about, whether in public or private settings, are subject to scrutiny can lead to a pervasive sense of vulnerability. People may feel exposed, self conscious, fearing that their behavior is being observed and evaluated.

It may make individuals increasingly guarded and making it difficult for them to relax and be themselves. Over time, the sustained anxiety can lead to stress and negatively impact overall mental well-being. The fear of abuse excuse me, of misuse. The potential for security technologies to be misused or infringe upon an individual's right can lead to heightened anxiety and fear. Individuals may be concerned that the data collected or monitoring conducted by these technologies might be exploited for purposes beyond security, such as unauthorized surveillance, data breaches, or privacy infringements.

This fear of misuse can generate a constant sense of disease, of unease, and with individuals worrying about potential negative consequences. The pervasive fear of misuse can erode trust in institutions, as we have seen in this country, and technology providers, as we see this evening with Axon, leading to a heightened state of anxiety about the impact of security measures on one's personal lives and freedom. This is a much bigger issue than just this one contract, but we need to consider the public's emotional and psychological health when making this decision. Thank you.

Except we have Craig Arfstadt. Craig. How do you pronounce your last name?

It's Arfstadt. Like a dog. Arf, arf. Well, thank you counsel for allowing me to speak today. I won't lie to you. I feel anxious. But I think sometimes it's good to feel anxious because you actually try and do something good. So once again, my name is Craig Arfson from, Denver City Council District seven. And I stand before you today in strong support of the Axon contract for license plate readers. Denver does not have a surveillance problem.

Denver has a crime problem. Our city ranks among the highest in the nation for violent crime and property crime. Even with recent progress, Denver leads Colorado and remains far above the national average. Automated license plate readers work. They've helped recover hundreds of stolen vehicles, solve homicides, supported the very dropping crime that we're seeing today.

We cannot dismantle a proven tool while the problem still persists. I support this contract with Axon. They already deliver our trusted body worn cameras, and this system brings stronger local controls and privacy protection than before. But 50 cameras is not enough. We must approve the contract today and immediately commit to restoring the full coverage to a 112 cameras.

Our officers and our residents deserve the complete system that delivers safety. For the Denver residents who are not in this room, ensure a common goal, a city where we can live, work, and raise our families without the constant threat of crime hanging over us, I urge your full approval of the Axon contract and a clear plan to scale back up to a 112 cameras. Denver does not have a surveillance problem. Denver has a crime problem. Let's give our police the technology they need to solve it. Thank you very much.

Next up, we have Nate Casa.

Hello, counsel. My name is Nate Casa. I grew up and work in the East Colfax neighborhood, a neighborhood home to many immigrants like myself and one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city of Denver. I also work for the East Colfax Community Collective. Throughout the city's relationship with FLAC, we have seen a thorough disregard and lack of consideration for our constitutional rights and the risks surveillance technology poses to residents of Denver, especially immigrants in the context of the Trump administration.

And while we are glad FLOC cameras will no longer be in our communities, we cannot afford to go into a contract with another private company and risk jeopardizing our rights. I want to remind all of us how FLAC executed a pilot contract with the border patrol and DPD with no knowledge from DPD, and they lied straight to your faces as counsel. And I wanna ask you all, do you wanna be in that same position with another company? Do Do you want to be in that same position with Axon? And I'll say, right now, Axon does not have the mechanism to share camera data across cities.

They are actively building the capacity to do so. And we can't afford to sign away our rights to any private company for them to build infrastructure for any political administration, whether local or federal, to violate our rights now, to violate our rights in two years, or to violate rights ever. And that's why I believe council should vote no on this contract. And I wanna encourage you all to think farther than that and to fight deeply for needed protections against mass surveillance in the city of Denver. We need you all to be bold.

We need you all to be innovative and to meet the moment because right now, immigrants and nonimmigrants alike are being hunted, and the Trump administration and any future administration will utilize the technology we have to hunt people down. And while the mayor clearly doesn't care about the opinions of the people of Denver, even asking you all two weeks ago to vote on a contract you didn't have in front of you, we need you all to be our champions. And so I'm asking you to be bold and vote no against this Axon contract.

Thank you. We

have Christina Eisenstein. And then Kristen Seidl, Seamus J, Lillian House, and Rob Collins. Alright. I'll go to Kristen Seidl. Seidl? K.

Thank you. Hello. My name is Kristen Seidel. I'm a District 6 resident and here representing Toka, Colorado. I'm in here to ask for a no vote on the Axon contract.

I'm a member of the city surveillance flock task force and have several concerns about this contract. The first is how the task force has never issued an official recommendation regarding ALPRs or any surveillance technology. The administration, however, moved forward with a contract they claim has addressed our concerns, putting into question whether the city is acting in good faith or simply trying to spin a story for the press. Now that I have had time to review parts of the contract, I'm not confident it will protect us. Axon said in the committee hearing their goal is to do everything that FLAC did, plus have all of their surveillance technologies on the dashboard where they can work together, giving DPD much deeper surveillance capabilities and a higher chance of Fourth Amendment violations.

Additionally, in section 31 of the body of the agreement, you will see the order of precedence. Most of the contract provisions drawn to address our concerns are in exhibit c. Unfortunately, the body of the agreement will supersede any conflicting information in exhibit c. The only way to supersede the body of agreement is with actual laws of protection. I was relieved to hear mister Hoffman say on Friday, the mayor has agreed to do whatever the council decides, just regardless of the contract size.

Until our laws catch up with technology, it is nothing short of irresponsible to approve this contract. As Axon has said, they are continuing to evolve what they are offering and how it will be implemented. We learned anything in the past year diving into FLOC, ALPRs, and surveillance technologies. It's that we must have guardrails in place to protect all Denver residents. We must be planning around what technology can do today and tomorrow. And why and that is why TOCA is asking for three things. One, stop bag and remove all flat cameras immediately. They have proven they cannot be trusted. Two, vote no on today's contract. And three, pass a comprehensive surveillance technology ordinance that will put Denver residents first.

With an authoritarian national government, anything less is putting our people at risk. Once you have protective ordinance in place, you can revisit the ALPR contract responsibly. Thank you.

Next up, we have Seamus Jay.

Good evening, council members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Seamus, and I'm here to urge yes, vote yes on Denver's Axon license plate reader contract. On 09/17/1984, eight year old Vicky Lynn Hoskin disappeared in Tucson. That same day, a teacher named Sam Hall noticed something off, a dark Dawson280Z with California plates near her school. It stood out enough that he wrote down the exact license plate. That plate was known from the very beginning of the crime all the way until the end. But Vicky did not come home alive. Her remains were later found in the desert months later. Having a license plate written down is not the same as knowing where that vehicle went and where it's going next.

The DOJ has reported that when children are killed by their abductors, seventy four percent are killed within three hours and ninety nine percent within twenty four hours. In cases like that, minutes matter is the difference between life and death. An example of that here in Colorado, earlier this year, a two year old was taken in a stolen car. Police used license plate readers to see where that vehicle had just been and he was returned to his family within two hours. This doesn't just apply to kidnappings.

When someone is shot and the suspect drives away, investigators need to know and figure out where the cars were in that area and where they went. In Virginia Beach, police used the technology in a homicide and arrested the suspect in in under an hour after the crime. This is not a partisan issue either. New York City this year, after explosive devices were thrown near the mayor's mansion, investigators used license plate readers to track the suspects entering the city and found them that same day. In terms of immigration concerns, this system is not accessible to ICE.

Denver controls the data. The contract states that ICE cannot get access to this data. And, yes, Axon sells equipment like body cameras and tasers to many agencies including ICE, but that does not mean those agencies have access to Denver's data. That would be like saying if you buy AirPods from Apple and I have an iPhone, you can somehow see the photos on my phone. It's stupid. That's now how these systems work. I'll finish with this. If the answer is no to this, then what's the alternative? Because these these crimes don't stop and more importantly, they don't get easier to solve just because the technology isn't used. Cars are still used in shootings.

Cars are still involved in kidnappings, and roughly 50 to 80% of violent crimes, the vehicle plays a role at some point in the investigation. People will still use cars in crimes tomorrow. The day after that, suspect will still flee. So if this goes away, something has to replace it. Because any officer or prosecutor will tell you, being able to track where a person vehicle was in the is the fastest way to build a case and find the person responsible. If we remove that, we are making these cases harder to solve. And if there's a better solution, I haven't heard it yet from anyone. This technology has already been recovered, and firearms has contributed to hundreds of arrests, including serious crimes like shootings and homicides. So this is really comes down to a simple question. Are we willing to give Denver law enforcement a tool to act when it matters most?

Because when someone is killed on a street in this city, their family doesn't matter about politics. They care about whether Denver can find the person who do it, and sometimes the only lead is a car. Please vote yes for Denver. Thank you.

Thank you. Next up, we have Lillian House followed by Rob Collins followed by Miriam Osmond.

Well, good evening, counsel. My name is Lillian House. I'm a Denver resident, and I'm here to urge you to vote no. I think that everybody here today and everybody in the city does care about safety. There's no one who doesn't care about the safety of their neighborhoods, but that's really not what this is about.

And I find it really offensive to be invoking these very superficial narratives about safety to justify expanding in the surveillance of Denver residents in ways that are deeply and legitimately concerningly invasive, constitutionally questionable, and actually proven to be ineffective. ALPRs are literally the definition of mass surveillance. I don't know how else you could characterize indiscriminately collecting, storing, processing through AI vast amounts of data on ordinary people totally independent of anything that

they have done.

And, as more of your constituents have learned about what this technology actually does and how it actually works and who can actually access it and how easily it can be misused, the concern and the outrage have grown in proportion. And I wanna point out, I understand the approach of alternating a for and against, a for and against, but that's actually not representative of the people who came to voice an opinion on this matter. And in fact, there's an overflow room upstairs that is packed with people who came out because they are very concerned, and they don't wanna see this contract passed. And this process doesn't actually reflect that. And I I'm really confident that actually the concern and outrage about this matter would grow in direct proportion to how well your constituents understood this technology.

And I know one thing, which is that you all have all of the information to understand exactly what this contract is and exactly why your constituents have legitimate concerns that you should be considering. And I wanna ask you, are you the types of politicians that get by by taking advantage of the gaps of knowledge of your constituents? Do you want to be the types of politicians that take advantage with easy narratives, with scary narratives, taking advantage of people's actual concerns about themselves and their families to push through things that you know are deeply dangerous and invasive. Because I think that people in Denver, like people all over this country, are really, really fed up with that kind of politician. We want people who actually represent the interests of their constituents, not the corporations, not big tech, not the cops, not the mayor, your constituents.

Thank you.

Of Rob call Collins.

Yes. Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight. I appreciate the opportunity. My name is Rob Collins. I live in Council District 2, and I urge you to vote in favor of this contract. I believe that public public safety outweighs all the privacy concerns only from the standpoint as we already live in a very surveilled society. Your phone tracks you. Your car tracks you. You go through as already stated by a previous speaker. We have numerous ways every single day that we're seen on video and audio and tracked.

This does not, in my opinion, impact those things. We already have it. Let's go ahead and get this axon so that we can, in fact, increase public safety to the point that the people are safe, that crime is seduced, reduced, and so that we can, in fact, be a safe society even though we are all the time surveilled. Thank you.

Thank you. And I'll just make an announcement. If you've spoken and you could leave so that people in the overflow room can come in, that'd be appreciated. Miriam Osman followed by Derek Friedman. Good

evening. My name is Miriam Osman. I'm a Denver resident, and I'm a policy analyst at Upturn, a national tech policy and civil rights nonprofit. I urge city council to vote no on the Axon contract. At work at Upturn, we've raised serious concerns about Axon and other mass surveillance companies for over a decade.

And, as a researcher in the technology and civil rights field, my conclusion is that the only responsible approach to technologies like ALPRs is to not use them at all. I want to outline five reasons why. First, claims that ALPRs reduce crime and increase safety are dubious at best. In my professional experience, there's little empirical research that suggests that ALPRs actually reduce crime. Most so called evidence that's produced comes from industry funded studies.

But we do have plenty of empirical evidence that shows that investment in education, housing, and jobs reduces crimes, not mass surveillance. Second, we have empirical evidence that ALPRs often make mistakes with devastating consequences that endanger people's lives. Such as a recent case where a man was wrongly pulled over and mauled by a police dog. Humans make errors too, but research shows that people are less likely to second guess algorithmic decisions. This is a phenomenon we call automation bias.

My point is not that ALPRs need to be more accurate before we use them, but that we should stop using them entirely because accuracy and safety are not what they're actually built for. They're built for mass surveillance and data collection. ALPRs are not neutral tools, but like other technologies reflect the biases and errors of the people who produce and use them. Third, ALPRs have dubious legality when it comes to the Fourth Amendment and our regulations and policy landscape lag far behind our technological capabilities. Furthermore, corporate interests thwart regulation whenever possible.

Fourth, no matter what Axon claims, there is no way to ensure that our data will be protected from misuse. State auditors in both California and Vermont found that law enforcement were using ALPRs in ways that violated state law and we have no way of being certain that Axon will not share data with federal agencies in the future. The best solution to this problem again is to stop the data from being collected to begin with. And, the final reason I will give is that we must stop the terrifying escalation and normalization of mass surveillance in our country. Because the reality is that once these technologies are in place, there is no going back.

They enable repressive, policies that threaten our lives and our rights. I urge the city council to vote no and take a stand against expansion of mass surveillance in our city. Thank you.

Thank you. Next up, we have Derek Friedman followed by Alfonso Espino.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of license plate readers and Denver's continued investment in this very important technology. I own four stores in Denver, Districts 10 And 3. Incidents of theft and extreme violent crimes in these stores give me direct experience to speak on this topic. In the aftermath of all the crimes against my stores and employees, we always give police as much evidence of the crime as possible. We believe the more evidence they have, the higher probability they will find and apprehend the criminals, hopefully reducing the potential that they will inflict harm on others in the Denver community.

The reality is that lives are at stake with this decision. This is why investing in the technology is so important. I'm gonna give you a real life story that happened in one of my stores a couple years ago. Just after 10:30 in the morning, a car parks directly in front of the store and two men get out. The men enter the store, one stops just inside the door to guard it.

The other pulls a gun from underneath his coat and points it at the employee standing by in the counter. He demands all the money in the register. As the employee is taking the money out from the register, the man shouts at him repeatedly, points the gun at him, and points the gun at other customers in the store. Once he gets the money, his partner runs out to start the car, and unfortunately, the store manager comes from the warehouse in the back, sees the gunman, and they begin to struggle over the gun. The criminal fires multiple shots as he breaks away and runs to the car.

They speed away. Now there are two attempted burners that are driving around Denver Streets. Where did they go? I stand in support of prioritizing the safety and welfare of Denver citizens and visitors by giving law enforcement more than the guys that just shot my employee went south. Let's give DPD access to technology that can help them quickly find, track, and remove the threat of violent criminals from our streets.

While I appreciate the concerns of folks that oppose the proposal, it's clear that the rules and firewalls around the reader technology are more than sufficient to eliminate the possibilities of misuse. I appreciate you giving me the chance to share one of many examples that I have in support of giving law enforcement access to this life saving technology. I hope you vote yes next week.

Thank you. Next up, Alfonso Espino followed by Sarah Martinez.

Hello. Good afternoon, council members. My name is Alfonso Espino. I live right off of 44th And Josephine, Suantia neighborhood in District 9. And I'm here many of you know me for my work in the community with the GES coalition, who I'm proud to say has signed on to the letter that you received today. But one thing that I wanted to kinda pick up off of that a previous speaker talked about was giving the police tools, That it's all about the tools, and it's not just about the tools. It's about who's wielding it. I know exactly who's wielding these tools. When I was in middle school, I made the mistake of tagging something in my middle school hallway. And another tool that they probably justified in a room just like this at some point before my life, they came up with a Denver gang book.

I've been in that gang book ever since middle school. That means every single traffic stop, two cops, double the resources automatically. It means that these sort of license plate readers, what does it produce? Right? Because some of the information going into it is always subjective.

And I don't trust the people that are wielding these tools because it's not just about the local police forces. We know about the federal administration and its racist, violent actions towards people that look like me, that talk like me, that are from the same places as me. And I can't comprehend how people can still come up here and give anecdotal evidence about how, you know, we should be alright. I should be okay with having my constitutional rights violated to make them feel better. How is that any form of justice?

And I really hope that you all, if you haven't picked up on it yet, vote no on this contract because there's so many good reasons to, but you really don't need a whole lot. It's unconstitutional. Somebody who's talking about how we're already surveilled, if the if the cops pull me over and they want my phone, they need a warrant. They don't need that to access that information on these automatic license plate readers. They don't.

And we know that these big tech companies are working with the Trump administration, that they have subscription models because all that data's private, and it's living in this space, this gray area where even though they're in public streets, public roads, public money, that data is private. They could sell that data. They don't need a contract or have it written into contracts with the city. They can do that because they're a private corporation. It's their private data that they're collecting using public tax dollars that they don't need to respect my constitutional rights to do.

The last thing that I wanna just uplift while I'm up here is some of you are aware about the data center going up in Elyria, a block away from my childhood home. They have gone to a lot of these meetings and told you that we need these data centers because we use Netflix. We use Facebook. You have a cloud. They need it for this sort of surveillance model. That's where they need thousands and millions of gigabytes of data to be stored to police the same communities that they're putting that shit in. Thank you.

Next up, we have Sari Martinez. Next up we have Jesus Le Loesa. Loesa. Thank you. Followed by Robin Ingle.

Okay. Hello.

My name is Jesus Loisa. I'm a father, a husband, a public defender in Denver, and a union member of CWA seven seven nine nine. I'm here in opposition to the mayor's proposal to replace one mass surveillance system with another. As we slow walk into a highly advanced police state, now is not the time to go with the devil that you know. As you know, Agzon currently holds the contracts for DPD's body worn cameras and tasers. Now is the time to side with community and outright reject all devils, all surveillance systems that do not keep us safe. Meeting our basic needs keeps us safe. Twenty four seven eyeballs in the sky do not feed us. They do not warm us on a cold night nor cool us on a hot afternoon. They do not house our neighbors nor provide care for our young and elders.

These cameras are not designed to deploy teams of city staff dedicated to meet the needs of the vulnerable and hungry. These cameras are deployed to surveil and catalog data on all of us without our consent for the purpose of prosecution, mass surveillance for mass imprisonment. Day after day, we hear more and more misuse of ALPR cameras contributing faulty evidence for criminal investigations. 09/27/2025, Columbine Valley Police Department near Littleton threatened Krisanna Elsner with arrest on the charges of theft. Elsner was eventually served a summons and needed to prove her innocence before a Jefferson County judge as opposed to being given the presumption of innocence as the Fifth Amendment due process clause entails.

As far back as 2020, Britney Gillum and her children were held at gunpoint when ALPRs mistook her motorcycle as stolen. When we have hundreds of hungry neighbors outside this very building tonight, when the city just fired a 169 workers in the past year, when the state is facing yet another billion dollar sized hole in its budget for a second year in a row, when our outgoing governor is advocating for the immediate construction of one to two prisons, and when our sitting president is threatening to deploy ICE to polls in November. It is morally reprehensible to spend nearly another half million dollars on an all seeing Fourth Amendment violating eye in the sky that no one asked for. I urge counsel, no vote on resolution twenty six zero two four six.

Virgil, Robin? Hi, good evening. Can you hear me okay? Yes, we can. Please go ahead.

Very good. Thank you. My name is Doctor. Robin Engel. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio, and I'm a senior research scientist with The Ohio State University.

I also served as the former vice president for safety and reform at the University of Cincinnati, and I've spent three decades of my career, working with law enforcement and communities across the country. And I work specifically in evidence based policing, police reform, reducing police use of force, reducing violence in our communities. And I led the research team that brought PNI, Place Network Investigations, to Denver in '20, '21 that's working to reduce crime in your neighborhoods. I agree. These are complicated times for public safety officials, for political leaders, and for community members.

There are risks to both public safety and privacy and civil rights. And these these risks are real, and they're consequential. And we all recognize that technology is advancing rapidly and that we must ensure that there are safeguards around its use. I have witnessed examples across the country, including in Denver, where the consequences were when technology was poorly regulated. But I also recognize, that some law enforcement technology companies have demonstrated they do not deserve our trust.

But from my perspective, having said all of that and again, my perspective is indeed as an outsider in your community, but I'm also a neutral, independent researcher and observer. And I have no relationship with Flock or Axon or any of the other vendors in this space. From my perspective, after reviewing the current contract under discussion, I found it to be especially strong, carefully threading the needle between the ambitious goals of improving public safety while also protecting the collection, storage, sharing, and use of surveillance technology. Listen, communities can't avoid the proliferation of technology, and they shouldn't. Empirical independent research has been conducted by the academic community.

It's demonstrated that APLRs have important public safety benefits, including improving criminal suspect apprehension and arrest, improving clearance rates, efficiencies in investigatory functions. And we know that the majority, the vast majority of large law enforcement agencies use this technology, and even the small and midsize agencies use this technology. Axon is not new to the public safety space, and they are actually reputable company. They are best known for the use of tasers, which, by the way, research has shown that tasers have significantly reduced officer involved shootings, killings, and reduced both subject and officer injuries, and body worn cameras, which have added an incredible level of accountability and transparency to policing. They're currently working on what they call the moonshot goal, fifty and ten, to cut gun related deaths between police and the public by 50 in ten years.

So the current contract under consideration has robust protections in place, some of the most robust protections I've ever seen. The contract, I believe, is

Robin. That's your turn. Next up, are Mitchell. And just wanna make a public announcement. We have about eleven minutes left within the hour for the public testimony. Joshua Mitchell? Maria Alicia Asher. Maria, are you online? Maria, if you accept the promotion. Hello? Go ahead. Go ahead.

Hi. Thank you, president Sandoval, the members of city council. My name is Maria Alicia. I'm here today to respectfully urge you to approve the Axon contract. I'm a Denver resident, a grandmother, the founder of the South Broadway Business Association, and someone who cares deeply about the future of our city.

I'm also speaking for many residents who are not in this room, but who want the same thing, a Denver where people can live, work, and raise families safely. As a proud member of Denver's Latino community, I want to address something directly. Too often, Latinos are portrayed as communities hiding in fear of immigration enforcement. That stereotype is wrong. The reality is that many of us are business owners, workers, parents, and taxpayers contributing to Denver every day.

And like every other community in this city, we want safe streets and accountability for violent crime. Public safety ultimately comes down to trust. We ask a great deal of the professionals of Denver Police Department and the district attorney's office. They investigate violent crime, pursue justice for victims, and protect our neighborhoods. When those professionals tell us which tools help them solve crimes, we should listen.

Both the Denver Police Department and the district attorney's office support approval of the Axon contract based on the results of pilot programs. The decision before you tonight will send a clear signal to residents across Denver about whether our city is willing to support the tools investigators need to solve violent crime and deliver justice to victims. This technology has helped identify violent offenders, solve road rage incidents, recover stolen vehicles, and remove illegal firearms from our streets. Eliminating this tool would not make Denver safer. It would simply make serious crimes harder to solve.

Denver deserves both strong public safety and responsible safeguards. I urge you to support this. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you. Next up, we have Alicia Roberts. Alicia. Hi. My name is

Alicia Roberts, and I'm a District 8 resident Northeast Park Hill. As a former AP government and civics teacher, I implore you to vote no on the Axon contract. The people want our privacy. This technology tracks people. We, the people.

Every time you drive past one of these cameras, it takes a picture of your vehicle and records your location and the exact time that you were there. Something done in the name of public safety cannot be held above privacy rights of our Fourth Amendment. We all need to wake up to the reality of techno fascism technology, especially when many of the founders of some of these technology companies are on record stating disturbing realities of the world they want to shape and are shaping. There are proactive solutions to safety, investing in services for people. But instead, we always seem to choose to invest in reactive items, and in this case, in unregulated AI technology.

So let's at least be honest with what we call this, public surveillance, and acknowledge it is a response, not an actual solution to community needs. Please spend money on services. You've heard numerous people talk about what actually prevents crime. Please spend money on services for people like universal basic income or meeting people's basic needs. And anyone listening here tonight, I highly encourage you to learn about AI technology in general and make your own determination if AI is an overall benefit to society or not.

I've spent the last two years deep in research, and I've determined that the cons override the pros overall for our society. Again, techno fascism is alive and well, and we need to educate ourselves and push back while we still can. And I encourage lastly, I've had the privilege of listening to the last two hours of of public comment in a lot of different I encourage the council to review the racial and gender makeups of who is asking you to vote yes on this technology and who is asking you to vote no on this technology. We all want a vibrant Denver, but for whom and how matters tremendously. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Katie. Next up, we have Nicole Cheia Nabler Nabler. Next up, we have Darlene Rivera.

Yeah. Good evening, council members, and thank you for allowing for this testimony. I am a teacher in Denver Public Schools. I don't live in Denver, but I do work there. I teach civics, the Fourth Amendment.

I tell students that they have protections from government surveillance and invasion of privacy. But the over surveillance with FLOC, with Axon, with government tools is very different than corporate Kroger, King Soopers, or somebody else surveilling us. Government has a higher standard when it comes to warrants, when it comes to respecting privacy. And I think that's an important issue for people to think about. I oppose the Axon contract, particularly until this surveillance task force has finalized any recommendations they may have, until there is some regulations set up for AI surveillance work.

And Axon particularly concerns me because it was a company that initially had an AI ethics board, which nine of those members resigned because Axon was talking about putting tasers on their drones, which just really increases the liability that people may face by somebody being misread. So I'm not sure that enough research has gone into all of this. And I agree with the panelists that have talked about the fact that we need to reinforce communities with opportunity, with education, with housing, with ways for them to really flourish in our society instead of maybe having to make some decisions just to make ends meet. Thank you for listening to the testimony. And again, I oppose the acts on contract.

Thank you. Next up, we have Zabela Nevin.

Good afternoon. My name is Isabella Nevin, and I'm the political organizer with Our Revolution, America's leading grassroots funded progressive political action organization. My comments today reflect over 100,000 members' outrage at the expansion of mass surveillance in Denver through this Axon contract.

While the

vendors name for this technology may be changing, it remains clear that this contract makes surveillance all the more widespread while lining the pockets of a $46,000,000,000 Goliath. Axon's mode of operation is vertical integration, allowing police to amass information and imagery gathered across Axon body cameras, Axon dash cams, Axon drones, and now Axon license plate readers. This system captions our everyday movements and connects it through a technology ecosystem. This data is fed into Axon's fuses system using AI analysis to detect object, people, and produce real time reporting. This contract not only allows for real time tracking but also feeds an unknown system where we are policed by AI proxy.

According to Axon's own SEC filings, the use of this tech is still shaky and its impact is unknown. Quote, unexpected failures failures or inaccuracy in AI driven systems could expose our customers to operational risks. Bless you. The consequences for AI observational defects in criminal investigations are steep. Can departments answer for the defects in this tech?

AI integrated systems like Fusis and Draft1 in the Axon ecosystem are designed to intentionally avoid oversight. Making it unclear as to what information is provided by an officer or an algorithm. In 2025, documents obtained from Fort Collins PD and Lafayette PD found that these safeguards were intentionally dismantled. This contract is pushing us into no man's land with no way of charting out danger. As technologies and algorithms become more sophisticated, such as the piloted Axon facial recognition program, the risk only grows.

A different name does not erase the danger of this tech. Real legislation is needed to address these concerns as they multiply, and this council cannot operate as a rubber stamp. As the state is freezing funding for education and funding for vital health care, this contract only adds insult to injury for working Coloradans. This is public money diverted from our roads, from things we need, from schools, and funneled into a monopoly. For these reasons, I ask you to vote no on this contract. Thank

you. Thank you.

That concludes our time for our one hour public comment. We have to make a decision. Do you wanna all ask questions now with the public speakers in front of us, or do we wanna ask questions next week when we actually vote on the contract? I'm open for a hybrid.

Yeah.

We can do some now. The I don't see if we have questions from members of go ahead. Councilwoman Gilmer.

I

would be very troubled, council president Sandoval, if we don't, as a body of counsel, ask questions tonight. And I am very interested, in understanding the rationale behind postponement because it, on the surface of it, seems like it's getting tossed to next week by using rule 3.6 with no basis for that other than we would take the vote next week when all the public speakers who are in this room, next door, upstairs are not here to hear the debate in the building or to be here for the vote. And so I'm very, very confused as to what materially is going to change within one week to postpone this vote. And so I I I think we erode further public trust if we don't ask the questions tonight on this. Thank you.

Okay. So I'm open to having questions asked tonight, and I will also be open to having questions next week. It doesn't have to be either or.

People to come

back down here, and I would say that especially

you have if you

have hardship.

If you have questions for the speakers tonight, colleagues, ask them. 100%. As for everyone else, the city, they can come back next week and answer our questions. I'm not gonna not have somebody vote on something and not be able to have our colleagues answer the questions. So, yes, if the public needs questions answered, 100% ask them. And next week, I'm not gonna tell my colleagues no that they're not allowed to ask questions again. I think it I think it can be both in reality. So does anyone have any questions right now in the queue? Councilmember Alvidrez? Thank you.

I have a question, and this is probably for you, Tim. I've been talking to community about their concerns around these cameras, and racing is an issue that has been brought up. And I'm curious. I didn't think that these were going to track speed. Are they addressing racing? And is there a limit to what crimes we're using to investigate with this this tool?

Yeah. Thank you, councilwoman. Tim Hoffman on behalf of the mayor's office. I'm actually gonna phone a friend on this one and see if commander Herrera or chief Thomas can talk about some of the specifics. But there are enumerated crimes that are the rationale for a search of the system, but I don't know if I'm either racing, either of you wanna opine.

So councilwoman right now the cameras do not detect speed and they're not connected to any traffic violations or enforcement also within the dpd operations manual section one nineteen which governs the alpr use the officers will not respond to alerts for driver's license violations so no restrictions based on driving license history or insurance.

Great. And then if I think that that list, if you have already sent it, if you could just resend it, the list of which crimes we are using this for, that would be

helpful. Yes, sir.

And then my next question is how long have we been using ALPR systems?

Doctor. So Demer has been using ALPR systems since twenty fourteen-twenty fifteen. Originally ALPR systems were most commonly used by the Denver Police Department within marked patrol cars where they would literally go under the siren bar on patrol cars and scan license plate as officers drove by. We have two legacy systems run through a company called Boss that were installed around I think 2015 or 2016. Only two of those around six in federal.

And we had a major, that was the status quo until the flock expansion pilot.

Okay. I appreciate that. Can someone tell me what the documented accuracy rate of this system is?

I believe there's an Axon representative online, Ben Ruebke.

Ready to repeat the question?

I think wait till they're promoted.

Oh, okay. I thought you said they

were promoted. Alright.

Is he

accepting the promotion?

Yeah. I'm here. Sorry about that. Ben Ruecki with Axon. We did provide an accuracy document to city council, I believe, last week or directly to councilmember Parity.

I'm just referencing that right now. The accuracy of the system is going to depend on a couple of different environmental factors. One is just the general read accuracy, which we measure to be roughly 96 to 98%, and that's on a weighted average across all conditions. The capture rate in daytime is around 92%, and then eighty eighty eight point nine. It's almost 89% across all conditions, and that's including nighttime. And then the nighttime performance, we measure to be about 99% on a on a read accuracy basis.

Great. Thank you having that. What safeguards are in place to prevent someone from being stopped or investigated on on incorrect data.

And, councilwoman, Tim Hoffman with the mayor's office. Part of that is that we have a essentially a two two factor authentication before a stop is completed by a Denver police officer. So if there is a hit off of the system and a police officer contacts that suspect vehicle, they then need to do a second level of authentication to confirm that it is, in fact, a suspect vehicle or a stolen vehicle. So, that's either calling into dispatch or running it through a system to confirm that it is, in fact, a wanted vehicle in some form or fashion. So it's not just the system. There's that second step to authenticate it as well.

And you since we've had, obviously, a lot of significant concern around surveillance and data use. Why hasn't it been prioritized to get an ordinance out of the group that was created? Yeah.

So the the charge of the task force was doing a couple of things. Right? The first was to look at the current policies and procedures that we have in place in Denver through our technology services, vendor risk assessments, through that Denver Police Department Operations Manual, and to study kind of the current landscape of where there are gaps in the system, where there are parts of it that are really working, and to not only bolster our current policies and procedures, but also to make sure that with new surveillance technology contracts, and that's not just for license plate readers, right, there's any number of surveillance technologies across the city. Those are all going to be robust in the first place and making sure that we have a good lay of the land before we start looking at what a potential ordinance might look like. We have begun that process of looking and having discussions with the task force members of what are the big buckets or kind of categories of issues that you would like to address in an ordinance.

I know all three of the council representatives on the task force are here today. We've had discussions with them around at what point we might have some draft ordinance language to review. I don't believe that that is ready yet, but I think we have a good sense of at least what the buckets are, and that's kind of after we've identified the current policies and procedures and made some of the changes and improvements, the next step is now really to focus on what that draft ordinance might look like.

Okay. I will say that I'm concerned that that wasn't done ahead of time. If there is a data breach, who is legally liable since we own the data? Is it us or is Axon?

Just getting a little over my skis as an almost attorney councilwoman, but there are some indemnification clauses in the contract that make it clear that Axon would be liable for the lion's share of those damages. It depends on the extent of the breach and the type of the breach, but by and large it would be Axon who would be liable for those breaches, and I'm happy to follow-up and confirm that with you and provide additional context.

Have we conducted a risk assessment on potential data breaches?

That's part of the technology services vendor risk assessment that was completed in January, yes.

And what protections are in place for residents if their data is exposed or improperly accessed?

Yeah, so off the top, I'll just note, as I said in the presentation, that there are really, really robust data security protocols in place already with this technology. The technology itself is encrypted throughout the process when it's on the camera, when it's transported to the actual database. The minute it's transferred off of the camera onto the database, it's deleted from the camera system. So that's this first step is to make sure that to the extent that we can, the breach is prevented in the first place. And then were there a breach to occur, Axon can basically immediately address the breach.

Internally, they have up to forty eight hours afterwards to let us know about it. That doesn't mean that they can't let us know earlier than forty eight hours. It just gives them that period of time to try to figure out exactly what's going on. And then we would work with Axon to identify the extent of the breach, whose information was released. With something like license plate reader technology, it would be that a license plate passed through a certain location at a certain time, so that would be the extent of it for that twenty one day period.

So I think part of the limiting of the retention period is to make sure that to my knowledge, I am unaware of any kind of large scale breach that has happened with Axon as a company, but we also have tried to limit the amount of information that could theoretically be caught up in that.

So we're

basing this on their procedures, Axon's procedures. We're basing, like, the security based on what they do instead of us creating an ordinance that would say, you to do this. You have to delete the information at a certain point. Where where where is it governed, I guess, that they will delete and that it will be encrypted, or is this, like, a just a trust thing? Is it in the contract?

I I believe Tara Sugura might be in the building, and if she can come in, she'll probably be able to answer some of those questions a little bit more. I do know that there are certain parts of the contract where the deletion of the data, the destruction, our ability to do auditing, to do penetration testing, all of those things are built into different parts of the contract. I'm happy to kind of highlight those specific sections for you, and I have a little bit more time. But if Tara Suguro is still in the building or online, she'd be able to address that in a little bit more detail. Okay, thank If

there is that breach, is the remedy just we cancel the contract, or is this damages that we can collect or Do you happen to know that, or should I wait for Yeah.

There there are There's a variety of things that we can do. Think one of them is collect damages or pause the contract. I think I mean, I don't think You also can cancel the contract if the breach was to the extent where that that was appropriate. So there's a a couple of different steps we could take.

Okay.

I'll wait for her to come answer that question. Thank you.

Councilwoman, if you wouldn't mind repeating the question, please.

Yeah. My question was around data and breaches and really trying to understand the data that is collected and if it overall, trying to understand, are we just depending on the contract? Are we depending on Axon's personal procedures as far as when data is deleted and how it's encrypted? Because my concern is that we're not waiting to put in an ordinance that will govern these things. So how are we governing those things?

Yeah, absolutely. Great questions. I'm glad you asked. I was hoping somebody would. So there's many factors that come into how we've assessed the vendor. Oh, yes. Hi. Tara Segura, Data Protection Officer for the city. Yeah, absolutely. So, my team conducted the vendor risk assessment for this vendor.

And when we do that, we look at a variety of factors before we can conclude whether we're willing to work the vendor. We're looking at federal regulations, state regulations, and whether the vendor meets the requirements of those regulations. We're also going to be looking at industry best practices. We have NIST, the Information Standard Technologies, and then International Operational Standards, which are the ISO standards that we take into consideration when we're looking at the vendors policies, the technology that's being present when it comes to security, the architecture, privacy, ADA compliance and then records management. So within this vendor, we went through and we reviewed all of those areas.

We had stakeholders with specific expertise that reviewed to make sure that we were able to confirm that the use of this technology would still meet our regulatory compliance needs. And then we are able to look at the contract that's been put together and then make sure that the contract conditions and those regulations within the contract language support what we've just vetted through the vendor risk assessment process.

Looking at current laws. So, like, the current law that's proposed and not a law at the state level that we are watching that will be, closely related to this contract. And an ordinance that the city council would put forward to set guardrails are not being included in that. So how would you, you know, change all of this Yeah. If there's actual laws to govern the safety of residents?

JULIE Yeah. So that's twofold. So for some of the items when it comes to laws and what's applicable, we look at the specific data sets. And so some of them aren't state laws. Some of them are federal laws and federal regulations, like criminal justice information.

And then we look at the technology requirements of those regulations. So within this vendor, we took the regulations and technology requirements of the most regulated data set, which is criminal justice information. And we reviewed and we looked at the technology from compliance with those regulations to see if it met our needs. And so it's also important to note that when we're looking at the compliance with laws and regulations, that is also those technology standards. So for the breach reporting requirements within this agreement is proposed forty eight hours.

So that falls within best practices and the technology regulations within the National Information Standards Technology, NIST, and then high FedRAMP standards, which are associated to criminal justice information. Same goes for destruction and the retention requirements. I'll also add that when we look at record retention, we also bring into account the city's record retention schedule. So it's online. It's on our DevRgov website. And so we want to make sure that we're backing up the city's retention schedule to the agreement and expectations that we're setting with this vendor.

So let's talk about the city's retention guidelines. Are those for our emails and public information? Because I

think

that data retention should be very different from just information from people getting or taking their kids to school.

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So the retention schedule defines data sets and records specific to the data set. So like you brought up emails and correspondence. They have a separate retention schedule and length of time that the city's required to maintain those records than than this type of data. Same goes for all of the city agencies.

Going back to my question, my question was if the laws change, if we pass an ordinance, if the state passes a law, how quickly how are you going to change this contract and this agreement and reassess the risk based on those changes? Because my concern is that we committed to this task force that they were gonna bring an ordinance, and we're not there yet. And so passing this before the ordinance and then having a significant change due to whatever is in this ordinance, how are you going to manage that?

Yeah. So I think that would be a collaboration. Oh, well, it would be a collaboration between my team, the city attorney's office, and the mayor's office, and when we're provided those legislative updates. We receive information on a weekly basis associated to the changes and proposed changes. In the last year, we've been able to incorporate some of the various updates that were made related to the PII certificate for vendors and individuals working with the city related to our data.

So we're always trying to make sure that we incorporate and to to adapt as quickly as possible because we have you know, the we want to protect and meet all of those requirements so that we know that we can stand by what we're approving from our vendor risk assessment process and from our data governance.

Okay.

Appreciate that. Thank you, counsel president. That's all I have for now. I just wanna say say that, of course, like, we all care about public safety. We deeply care about public safety, and asking these questions is part of caring about public safety. Thank you.

Thank you. Councilman council councilperson Gilmore.

Thank you. My first question is actually for Chief Thomas. Chief Thomas, with

contract, the

the city was given, I believe, free of charge drones. Are we gonna retain those drones if we decide to move away from FLAC?

Thank you for the

question, Deputy Chief Ron Thomas. So FLAC Aerodrome is actually separate from the FLAC ALPR network that we currently have established through the end of this month. And so there's no connection between the two. We do believe that it will be prudent to continue with so we haven't even received the equipment in order to do this no cost pilot program that they have engaged with us in. We are still waiting for the hardware in order to install.

We do think that it would be prudent to test that technology out, as well as the Skydio drones, which currently are in the sky, to see which is the best provider for drones as a first responder.

So what are the regulations on those drones currently?

In terms of so so okay.

Counsel didn't vote on any laws to manage them for privacy concerns or height of where you fly them, next to residential, etcetera. Is there a policy that you have in terms of

There is.

There is a

drone policy that I can share with all the city council. I can also tell you that that is part of the policy that, one, the camera that is affixed to the drone will be pointed at the horizon. So we'll not be capturing anything on its way to its destination. The the camera won't drop until it gets to its destination. And then the entire path of the drone flight, as well as everything that will be captured by the drone, will be publicly available on the dashboard. And certainly, the same retention rules would apply as it relates to the data that would be captured by that drone.

So that what you just explained right now for the public, has that been shared via email or in some documentable form with Denver City Council?

I I believe so because I know that we have talked about drones a number of times.

Send that again Sure. So that it's in our email boxes so that we can see the date on that and the the specifics of it. As far as FLAC and, you know, this ALS, the camera technology, explain to me, I guess, how mayor Johnston was confused through the investigation of the Jack Scrapton murder that happened in Denver. She was a trans woman who went missing on Colorado Boulevard in Denver, and mayor Johnston very directly told the media that Flock's cameras had helped solve her murder. How did he get that being wrecked?

I honestly can't answer that question for you, councilwoman. Obviously, a misstep on his part as it relates to how that case was being investigated. We are aware of the fact that she was missing from Denver, ultimately located in Lakewood and found and found murdered.

And so when there is a missing person's alert made and you know the location, it's a residence, A lot of folks anecdotally and, you know, through data, you've all said that it helps find people. I guess what is the process and the policy when somebody is reported missing? Because clearly, DPD and your technology, the tool of FLoC did nothing. And so what what is the policy that when someone goes missing, how do you even utilize FLoC, Or do you? Or is it happenstance, I guess?

Well, it's

not a

happenstance, certainly. So good question. So what we would do when a missing person's report is filed, I mean, I think that happens quite often. And so there's an analysis that takes place to determine whether or not there is a reason to believe that this person is in danger, that this person has been potentially the victim of a violent crime. And then that identification will then give us the opportunity to use the tools that are available to us in order to locate vehicles that may have been associated with that person's potential abduction or whatever crime that person might have been victim to.

But that never happened in this case. And so how have you corrected then, I guess, the policy where that footage was not used. So have you done a review or worked with the office of the independent monitor to shore that up and and fix those gaps? We would not,

and we could certainly do that. I would have to probably know more about what it was that we knew as it related to Jack Scruton's disappearance in order to identify whether or not there was reason to believe that that she was abducted or that she was the victim of a violent crime in order for us to use the tools available to us.

The family reported it. It was reported, and nothing was done regarding FLAC cameras. So I I'll state that for the record. With the PNI location, you know, the person who is representing Axon or whoever she was, she's not from here and she's a vendor, PNI locations, the place network investigations. I guess explain to me how this technology is used in the place network investigations area. Is it at the intersections of, like, 47th And Albrook in Montbello?

Are you referring to the the cameras that are currently in place? Yes. So Mhmm.

I would assume would be replaced because you're not gonna move one from Montbello.

So I believe that we have identified 14 to 16 locations where we will be distributing these 50 cameras. They will be dispersed across the city. It will be a data informed decision where these cameras are placed. And I don't necessarily put together P and I with the use of ALPRs. I mean, I think P and I is really more of a whole of city, whole of government, whole of community approach to addressing violent crime in communities.

And while certainly ALPRs are a tool, ALPRs are a very reactive I guess has been already stated, ALPRs are a reactive tool to respond to after a crime is committed, whereas PNI, I think, is a proactive approach to change the dynamics of the community so crime isn't pervasive.

So since there is possibly going to be a postponement on the floor tonight for this, if it does get postponed in the week that we have, I'd like the specific data for that intersection at 47th And Albrook because I live in Montbello and I go through that intersection quite regularly. And so I have trouble, I guess, aligning that if you're having a higher rate of crimes in an area and you're trying to do the place network investigations, it doesn't seem logical if you have that tool as a camera there. You're not going to access it, but you're telling me that you're not. And so I would appreciate the data shared what to date with the FLoX cameras, what has transpired there as far as PNI, how it's related to crimes, if and when the flock cameras were utilized in that scenario. So thank you for that.

I appreciate it. Thank you, Chief Thomas. I wanted to see if Liz Castle from the Office of the Independent Monitor would come up for a question. Thank you for being here, Liz. Really glad that you're tracking this. And so with your work with the Office of the Independent Monitor, were you sitting in or on the surveillance task force advisory group?

Elizabeth Castle, independent monitor for Denver. Yes, I am on the task force.

During that task force, was there conversation that once maybe a direction was decided or there were maybe policy conversations to come out to the neighborhoods and talk with folks, or did you really get that far?

There's been a lot of conversation. And I think we started meeting excuse me approximately in the fall. Task forces covered a lot of information, including contracts, data. I think, yes, I think absolutely in general we also covered communication with community and continued communication with community and how far to go with that. Certainly has always been a topic of conversation.

Okay. In that task force, was there conversation about drones as well?

I can't recall off the top of my head that sounds right, but I can't recall off the top of my head.

Great. I appreciate that. Thank you, Liz. Appreciate it. And so that's my questions. I did for the public record because I don't believe the council president stated it clearly for the record, but there were 55 speakers signed up for this courtesy public hearing. One was neutral, 12 were four, and forty two were against. And so I wanna make sure that that gets on the record because we're not here with all the people. And so there were 42 people against, and they didn't all get to speak. Thank you.

Next up, we have councilwoman Perry.

Thank you so much, council president. I wanted to actually, I'll start again with the independent monitor since she's still here. If you don't mind coming back up, Liz, I have a few questions for you two. Yes. I'm sorry. My voice is going.

Sorry for the cough.

So I I wanted to take a step back because in addition to being a member of this sort of impromptu task force, you also are charged with reviewing regional police policies. Right? Yes. Under the ordinance that authorizes your office. Yes. Okay. And so I wanna know at what point in time you have reviewed I guess, at what points in time have you reviewed iterations of Denver's ALPR policies? I know you don't share your feedback. That goes only to DPD. It's not made public or shared with us by this ordinance. But I just want to know when you have done that.

I think the most recent review up until the review that up until the policy that was sent to us last week was in 2024. And I think it's the policy number is 119, I believe.

Okay. So you had an earlier version that you've seen, and then you've gotten the next time you've gotten anything to look at was last week.

That's correct. And we're in the process of re reviewing that now.

And, again, I know you can't share what the recommendations are, if any, but you haven't sent any yet to DPD. Is that right? We have not. No. We're still reviewing. Haven't had time yet? No. Okay. So and I just wanna point that out because I think that that came about because you asked in the context of the task force. Councilmembers asked in committee, and I'm I'm glad that you have that in front of you, but that process is not complete.

So if we enter into this compact, we still have a policy that any reference is a single vendor, and then it's out of step with some of the promises and commitments that we've heard in various ways. And so I just I feel like that's a real misstep for us because it's there's an ordinance that says that you are to review DPD's policies. Right now, the DPD policy is just out of date. It doesn't even say the right. So I wanna I won't ask you anymore about that because I know the process is that you make recommendations, you know, to DPD directly, so I I won't ask you your opinion about it.

But in terms of the task force, I also sit on that, so does council member Gonzalez Gutierrez, council member Flynn. I just wanna sort of ask if your sense is that well, we heard a statement of the mission of the task force for mister Hoffman earlier. Was that a mission statement that you had seen before, or do you have a sense of what our process even is on that task force from here on out? And I do partly ask that because even though I'm also on it, I'm gut checking.

I apologize. I did not hear the statement because I was in transition between rooms. And I just want to clarify with regards to any policy for example, a policy that the department is asking us to review. Our recommendations to the department are covered under deliberative process privilege. That does not mean, however, that the OIM cannot then publish recommendations that we are making about the policy. We just can't discuss what the back and forth was between the parties. That doesn't keep us from making recommendations publicly. Yeah.

That makes sense. Thank you. Okay. I think that's all I want to know because I think that draft DPD policy, I mean, we asked for it. A draft came around very quickly. To my quick reading of it, it's still just quite incomplete, which is not surprising because it seems that it was cooked up right after a committee meeting. And so there are a lot of topics that that it does not address. And the reason that that's of such concern to me and, Liz, I'm sorry. You can feel free to sit down. I'm I'm done asking you questions. Know if anyone else will. I'm sorry. The I'm concerned that the the way this contract was written, any kinds of expansions of what this technology does, we have all these commitments that say and and, literally, you can hear Axon. They use the word today. They say, today, we don't have interjurisdictional sharing.

They're working on that actively. And so even though Denver is saying that we won't turn it on, the contract says that all of those decision decisions will be made by Denver, which in practice will end up being the mayor and DPD. And so we just have a real risk of changes happening in the technology without any kind of notification. And the the proposed manual policy talks about that city council will be notified of certain things that are pretty cabined. It is not the approach that I would take in terms of the how we would receive information if we had gotten to the point of being in the ordinance process.

So I just wanna point that out. Circulating something to the monitor on the Friday before the vote when it's it it crucially interrelates to how the contract is work is just a problem. It's the reason we have a monitor's office that reviews these things. Okay. Sorry. Let me move to another area of questions. Okay. I want to ask DPD a little bit more about some of the areas that we still don't know that much about. So I guess it's probably chief Thomas or maybe it's commander Her. I don't know.

But in particular, we keep hearing about FUSIS. Can you just describe what that Axon product is? You or whoever is best to do that.