Health and Safety Committee Meeting - March 18, 2026
Health and Safety Committee Meeting - March 18, 2026
This is a summary of the Denver City Council Health and Safety Committee meeting held on March 18, 2026, at 10:30 AM. The meeting was chaired by Councilmember Darrell Watson. The main action item was a resolution to approve a contract with Axon Enterprise, Inc. for an Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system, which was debated extensively and ultimately passed on a 5-2 vote. Three consent items were also approved.
Consent Calendar
- 26-0308: Amends a contract with 5280 Forensic Pathology, PLLC d/b/a Dr. Kelly Lear to add $250,000 for a new total of $633,000 for emergent forensic pathology services (citywide). Approved by consent.
- 26-0318: Amends a contract with Goodwill of Colorado to modify language in the Scope of Work to allow for reimbursement of PTO payouts and retention bonuses for case management and supplemental services to Colorado Works/TANF participants (citywide). Approved by consent.
- 26-0323: Amends a contract with Dr. Meredith Frank, PLLC to add $1,000,000 for a new total of $1,383,000 for emergent forensic pathology services (citywide). Approved by consent.
Discussion Items
- Action Item 26-0246: Resolution to approve a $150,000, one-year contract with Axon Enterprise, Inc. for an ALPR system including 50 cameras, hardware, software, and equipment. The contract had been discussed in prior briefings. The administration provided a draft contract to council members on the previous Friday. Key points of discussion included:
- Data security and privacy: Councilmembers expressed concerns about the 48-hour breach notification requirement (Section 12.3.1) and the potential for data sharing under “otherwise required by applicable law” provisions. The city’s data protection officer noted 48 hours aligns with industry standards, but some councilmembers found it too long.
- Opt-out vs. opt-in for new features: The contract includes an opt-out provision for new features, but councilmembers argued that without an updated DPD policy or ordinance, the decision-making authority rests solely with the administration, not the council or public.
- Retention period: The contract states the city sets the retention policy, which will be 21 days per DPD operations manual (not in the contract itself).
- Live streaming capability: Commander Barnes clarified that the cameras can live stream temporarily during critical incidents but do not record continuously. Existing Halo camera policies will apply.
- Comparison with body-worn cameras: Councilmember Gonzales-Gutierrez noted that ALPRs capture all passersby, unlike body cameras activated during interactions.
- Federal immigration enforcement: Councilmembers asked about the vendor’s philosophy on using technology for deportations; Axon’s representative promised a written statement.
- SB 2670: The pending state bill would require a warrant for ALPR use. The administration said they would update policies if it passes.
- Councilmember Positions:
- Councilmembers Parady, Gonzales-Gutierrez, and others opposed moving the contract forward due to concerns about privacy, lack of updated DPD policies, and potential misuse under the current federal administration.
- Councilmembers Sawyer, Flynn, Watson, and others supported moving forward, citing improved contract language and community safety needs.
Key Outcomes
- Vote on Action Item 26-0246: A motion to approve the resolution for filing was made by Councilmember Sawyer and seconded by Vice Chair Flynn. The vote was 5-2 in favor, with Councilmembers Flynn, Sandoval, Sawyer, Torres, and Watson voting aye, and Councilmembers Gonzales-Gutierrez and Parady voting nay. The resolution will proceed to full city council for a vote on Monday, March 23, 2026.
- Commitments from Administration:
- Commander Barnes committed to updating DPD’s ALPR policy to match vendor contract terms (e.g., opt-out, live streaming) before the full council vote.
- Tim Hoffman agreed to provide a map of current and proposed camera locations, criteria for placement, and clarification on contract sections (e.g., missing Section 12.4).
- Axon will provide a written statement on its philosophy regarding use of technology for deportations.
- Public Hearing: Council President Sandoval noted that a courtesy public hearing has been scheduled for Monday, extended from 30 minutes to one hour to accommodate public comment.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome back to this weekly meeting of the Health and Safety Committee with Denver City Council. Coverage of the Health and Safety Committee starts now. Good morning and welcome to the Health and Safety Committee for March 18th. My name is Daryl Watson. I'm honored to be the chair of the Health and Safety Committee as well as the City Council Member representing the following district nine. Before we begin our meeting today, we have one action item. And we had a briefing that was canceled. So if you are here for the municipal sentencing uh policy briefing, that um briefing uh has been canceled and will be rescheduled for a later date. Um we'll begin with uh introductions from city council members. I just want to verify uh council members that are online. Um is Councilmember Torres Online Jamie Torres, West Denver District Three. President Protestant. Good morning, Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver District 4. Councilmember Perry. Yep, hi, Sarah Parity, one of your two council members at large. Seeing and hearing none less introductions in the room. We'll start on our right with Councilmember Flynn. Uh thank you. Uh good morning, Kevin Flynn, Southwest Denver's District 2. Good morning, Amanda. Sorry, district five. Good morning, Paul Cashman, South Tender District. Good morning, Sedana Gonzalski Tedis, one of your other council member at large. Good morning, Chantel Lewis District 8. And good morning once again for the uh members of um the city that are here for the briefing for municipal sentencing. I'll give a pause because I don't know if you want to sit around for the action item if you don't need to. So if you are here for the municipal sentencing briefing, uh policy briefing, and you're here to answer questions. You are free to leave, and I'll give uh teacher pause uh for you if you choose to leave. We welcome you to stick around and listen to our wonderful dialogue and discussion, but I'll give you a moment if you choose to. Hi, Reggie. You did a slow walk, we're gonna keep walking. So if you're wanting to go back and do your work, now's the time. Thank you all for being here. Thank you for being willing to participate in our process. And with that, um, I'll turn it over to Mr. Hoffman for our action item is 260246, the Denver Police Department Axon contract for automated license plate plate recognition system. Uh Mr. Hoffen, turn it over to you. As council members know, we've had, I think, four briefings, dialogues, discussions on this. Um, so Ms. Hoffman, if you can provide a brief overview, there will not be a full presentation, and then the queue is now open. Thank you, Committee Chair Tim Hoffman. I'm in the mayor's office. I serve as his director of policy. I'll uh Commander Barnes introduce himself. Good morning, Cliff Barnes, Commander of the DPD Cyber Bureau. Uh and we are uh I'm hoping that Teresa Gura from Technology Services will also be able to join us. Um but she is not here yet. Uh we were obviously in committee last week uh talking to you about this 150,000 one-year contract. Uh we requested a delay um of having this voted out of committee to the full council so that we could um keep our obligation to you all by providing you a draft contract um by uh last Friday.
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