Colorado county commissioners vote no on license plate readers

ELBERT COUNTY, Colo. — In a clash between personal freedoms and technology-driven public safety, the guys controlling Elbert County’s purse strings won.

In May — to the dismay of the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office — its own panel of county commissioners became what is likely the first governmental entity in Colorado to challenge the reach of cutting-edge surveillance technology avowed by law enforcement as a powerful crimefighting tool.

In December, the Elbert County Commissioners voted, 3-0, against renewing the contract for the region’s nine Flock Safety brand license plate readers because constant surveillance of passing vehicles is too much “Big Brother” for their comfort.

“This is a place where people ought to be able to live freely and enjoy their properties and their lifestyle without being concerned about who’s watching them,” Commissioner Chair Chris Richardson said of constituents in this traditionally conservative county.

It was Richardson who gave the license plate readers (LPRs) a green light a year ago. At the time, he said he was under the impression that he had authorized police dashboard cameras.