“The whole thing gives me a very icky feeling, and I can’t not express that,” said Mayor pro tem Marie Cenac at the Town Board study session on May 13 when presented with a proposal from Estes Park Police Department Chief Ian Stewart on Flock Safety cameras.
More than 75 Colorado law enforcement agencies use Flock Safety cameras in their communities to take pictures of the rear license plates of cars that drive by them, said Stewart, including neighborhood agencies in Larimer, Boulder, and Grand counties.
Stewart suggested that Estes Park use the technology to set up a digital perimeter around town with eight cameras along Highways 36, 34, 7, and County Road 43 to monitor what’s coming in and out of our community.
Last year, several local crimes could have been solved using License Plate Reader technology, said Stewart, including a shooting incident in July at Stanley Avenue and Highway 36.
A major lead was developed in the case from Flock LPR in Boulder County, and a series of car thefts in November could have quickly identified the stolen vehicles for recovery had this technology been used, he added.
The technology has also been helpful with Amber Alerts, finding missing older adults, and other crimes where witness testimony can be imprecise, Stewart said.
According to Kristen McLeod, a representative from Flock Safety, 10% of reported crimes in the US today are solved using Flock Safety cameras.
“Every innocent person in the world should not have to suffer for the criminals,” said Cenac. “I don’t want people knowing I’m going to Boulder, or that I’m attending a certain political rally, or going to a particular church.”
While she recognized the world is moving toward more and more surveillance and that there are distinct advantages to implementing LPRs locally, “I think it’s a slippery slope for Estes Park,” she said.
“For me, personally, as well as us as a department, these privacy issues are our utmost concern, and that’s why I really like the transparency that comes from this,” Stewart said.
Flock Safety as a company “was built with privacy in mind,” said MacLeod. Data is automatically deleted after 30 days, and all data collected would be the property of EPPD, which would decide whether to share it with neighboring agencies.
Trustee Frank Lancaster asked if federal agencies could access the data and Stewart said they could not because the police department would not allow them to.
Cenac wanted Stewart’s opinion on whether or not golf carts and other low-speed or off-highway vehicles should be allowed to be driven on Estes Park streets or bike paths.
On a recent trip to Moab, Utah, she “saw golf carts all over the place,” and wondered if allowing golf carts would help relieve traffic congestion. Housekeeping staff at several motels routinely use the bike paths to travel between adjacent properties with their gear and cleaning supplies.
Stewart said these types of vehicles could not legally travel on most roads in town because they are prohibited on state highways.
“I would be concerned about one of these vehicles versus a full-size pickup, versus a full-size SUV, or something bigger,” said Stewart. “I would be very strongly against that. There are no safety features. There are no lights on them. It’s what you literally go around on, on a golf course.”
Stewart also reported on the police department’s recent noise ordinance training session, which is being made available to all police officers.
As long as the ordinance doesn’t change, the training video that was recorded can be used as new officers are hired.
Study sessions are held before regular Town Board meetings to allow Town staff to discuss concepts and share information with the Trustees. No decisions are made at study sessions, but the topic may be slated for the agenda of a future Town Board meeting.
Public comment is not typically allowed at study sessions, but the public can contact the Town directly with concerns or recommendations. To contact a particular Town Board member directly, visit the Town’s website or email the Town Clerk. townclerk@estes.org.
This idea by the new Police Chief to install cameras to track all cars entering and exiting Estes Park is very creepy and not necessary. Estes Park does not have a serious crime problem, which makes this proposal ludicrous. It is a total waste of money and probably violates our rights to privacy. Are they just looking to waste and spend money for the sake of spending and wasting OUR money. This type of abuse must be stopped. As a local business owners, we do not want to see money wasted like this in our beautiful Town.
The town of Estes Park has had citizens – local and visitors – under surveillance for quite some time. I’d like to hear from the TOEP and the EPPD about how long images of people (not just license plates!) and the information of where/when they were at particular times are held before they are deleted – IF they ever get deleted. We citizens also need to hear how long the scans of license plates gathered on public streets and in private and public parking lots around town by the EPPD are kept, how secure that data is, and who does the EPPD share that information with. This is not a ‘conspiracy theory’, here’s a link describing part of the current surveillance system we are currently under:
https://inteconnex.com/portfolio/video-surveillance-system-for-colorado/
Additionally, a 2015 article from the EPNews indicating we’ve been under license plate surveillance for the past 10 years:
https://www.estesparknews.com/estes_valley_spotlight/article_e9043834-bcdf-517c-830a-966803a21aa2.html
I totally agree with Mayor Cenac that no innocent person should have to suffer for the criminals, which is why I support the advancement of technology and the installation of cameras. I don’t care who knows where I’m going and I’m more than happy to have anyone know where I go to church. Technology is the one thing that criminals have a real challenge with especially when they are committing crimes with their cars. Let’s make the criminals paranoid for a change.