A proposal expanding the contract duration for Denver police’s license plate reader system is raising concerns about the surveillance tool’s potential misuse.
Why it matters: In other jurisdictions, similar systems that provide law enforcement with real-time data have already been exploited by federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
By the numbers: Denver police want to add $666,000 to an existing contract with Flock Group Inc. that would expand its services two more years to continue operating the 111 cameras already installed at 70 locations citywide.
- This would bring the contract’s total to just over $1 million.
State of play: Denver police commander Jacob Herrera last month said any agency requesting department data must “sign and attest” they won’t give information to ICE.
- However, the ACLU, which opposes using such tech to share data, says a records request completed in Northern California this year from a similar ALPR system operated by a different company showed ICE gained access to a database to monitor more than 5 billion data points.
What they’re saying: ACLU Colorado senior policy strategist Anaya Robinson tells us the public’s right to privacy should be considered: “The community should have a say in whether or not they are willing to give that up.”…