Friday, Mar. 6, 2026
Is footage from Denver traffic cameras publicly available?
Footage from Denver’s traffic camera network is available for purchase through the Denver Police Department website, though restrictions may apply.
Denver police operate 259 cameras across the city, which monitor traffic and provide general surveillance in what police call “high-activity locations.” Video footage from these cameras can be requested for a limited time through the police online records portal. Police charge a $20 research fee to determine if the footage being requested exists, and an additional $41.37 per hour of footage, with a minimum fee of one hour.
The footage is generally preserved for 30 days before being overwritten.
Requests for police footage are governed by the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act, which prohibits the release of information that could identify juveniles and sex assault incidents and victims. Police can also withhold records if they determine releasing them “would be contrary to the public interest.”
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Denver Police Department, Denver Police Department Records Requests page
- City of Denver, HALO Cameras Map
- Colorado Revised Statutes, Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act
About fact briefs
Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network.
See all fact briefs
The Colorado Sun is a journalist-founded, award-winning and nonprofit news outlet based in Denver that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself. In this way, we believe we can contribute to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado. We are committed to fact-based, in-depth and nonpartisan journalism. We cover everything from politics and culture to the outdoor industry and education. Our goal is to produce the best possible journalism. We do that with the help of you, our readers, and community backers. We launched on Sept. 10, 2018.
Learn MoreLatest Fact Briefs
Have transplants driven Colorado’s population growth over the past decade?
Monday, Mar. 2, 2026
Would a new bill block Colorado cities from treating prostitution as a crime?
Monday, Feb. 23, 2026
Can police officers be sued for misconduct in Colorado?
Friday, Feb. 20, 2026