What the ‘Flock’ are you looking at? License plate readers and mass surveillance
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of license plate readers and mass surveillance in Colorado, focusing on law enforcement's use and community privacy concerns.
Flock cameras, and other license plate reader systems, are installed all over Colorado. The technology gives law enforcement access to a new level of tracking, a reach they say has helped them solve all kinds of terrible crimes and made the state safer. But community fears that law enforcement could misuse the data and invade people’s privacy, and share it with federal immigration authorities, are mounting — and getting the attention of state lawmakers. CPR’s Bente Birkeland and Denverite’s Andrew Kenney dig into how this kind of surveillance tech has changed in recent years, the arguments for and against it and how some Colorado lawmakers hope to restrict how law enforcement can access this data. Catch up on our latest coverage: New restrictions on police surveillance advance in state Senate Denver fires Flock, prepares to switch to new roadway surveillance system Officer faces discipline after using Flock cameras to falsely accuse Denver woman of package theft Police used Flock cameras to accuse a Denver woman of package theft. She had her own evidence Out-of-state cops had access to Denver license plate data for immigration cases for months Denver is at the center of a viral…
More episodes of Purplish
- Should Colorado lawmakers get a raise? It’s a politically thorny topic
- Who’s on the primary ballot and what did it take for them to get there
- 11 questions lawmakers hope could help prevent domestic violence killings
- Who should have the power to pump up the volume at Colorado’s venues
- Colorado’s budget woes and the ballooning costs of Medicaid
- Colorado’s prisons have a crowding problem
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Purplish podcast page.