Denver Police Announce License Plate Reader Dashboard Now Available

Denver Police Announce License Plate Reader Dashboard Now Available

Published on September 19, 2024

Denver - Thursday, September 19, 2024 - The Denver Police Department shares that aggregate information captured by Denver's Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system is available online for the community to access. The Flock Safety Transparency Portal is accessible by visiting Denvergov.org/Police and clicking on the "Performance and Transparency" tab. This portal allows residents will see which law enforcement agencies have access to the data, prohibited uses of the information, what is not detected, and more.

Denver currently has 95 cameras located throughout the city with 16 more expected to be installed this year. The information captured by the cameras is kept for only 30 days unless it is connected to a case. Notable numbers captured by the Flock system in the past 30 days, which is available on the dashboard include:

• More than 2,072,000 vehicles were detected by the system
• Approximately 86,800 vehicles and/or license plates on the hotlist were identified
• Law enforcement investigators conducted for about 1,350 searches of the data

"Denver's commitment to transparency means giving our residents the power to see exactly how we operate, progress in our efforts and to hold us accountable," said Mayor Mike Johnston. "By making the data captured by the Automated License Plate Reader system available, we're giving residents the tools to see how this technology is being used to keep our communities and city safe."

With the assistance of the Flock system, since May of 2024, Denver Police officers have arrested at least 142 suspects, recovered 11 weapons and approximately 99 stolen vehicles. Comparing the four months since obtaining Flock to the same four-month period of the previous year, Denver saw a 33% decrease in motor vehicle theft - a decrease of 1,460 incidents (from 4,397 to 2,937). Also, year-to-date in 2024, 6,271 vehicles were reported stolen, compared to 12,489 year-to-date in 2023. This nearly 50% decrease signifies successes of Denver Mayor Johnston's and the Denver Police Department's auto theft reduction plan which was announced in January of 2024.

"Our goal remains to reduce auto thefts in Denver and while these reductions are promising, we will continue to arrest those who steal vehicles," said Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas. "We encourage residents to do their part by ensuring their vehicles are locked, removing their keys from the car, reporting suspicious activity, and signing up for DenverTrack."

Recent success stories of the Flock ALPR system include:

• June 14, 2024, Denver Police officers were alerted to a Flock hit on a reported stolen vehicle out of North Carolina. Officers responded to the 700 block of South Colorado Boulevard where they located the vehicle, but it was unoccupied. As officers watched the vehicle from a distance, an adult male and female entered the stolen vehicle, at which point the officers moved in and detained the suspects. The suspects were in possession of firearm and approximately 50 grams of suspected fentanyl powder. Both were taken into custody.

• July 3, 2024, DPD officers were conducting proactive patrols along the East Colfax Avenue corridor when they were notified of a stolen vehicle in the area captured by Flock. As officers went to contact the driver, he fled, but eventually officers took him into custody. The adult male suspect had a felony warrant for dangerous drugs and was taken into custody for the warrant and stolen vehicle.

• A vehicle was previously involved in an unlawful discharge of a firearm which occurred on July 20, 2024, near 21st and Lawrence Streets. At that time, the driver eluded officers. Then on August 11, 2024, officers were alerted that the same vehicle was in the area of 22nd and Lawrence Streets. DPD officers witnessed two individuals leaving the vehicle, and when they contacted the two adult males, they located two firearms in the vehicle along with ammunition. One man was taken into custody for possession of a firearm by a previous offender, and the other man was cited for possessing an extended magazine.

• In June of this year, Denver Police officers were alerted by Flock that a vehicle was in the area that was associated with a burglary suspect. The officers located the vehicle in the 4500 block of Pecos Street. They witnessed the suspect enter the passenger side of another vehicle and with the assistance of DPD's Air 1, officers approached the vehicle as two adult male suspects fled from the car. As they were fleeing officers, one of the suspects threw a bag into a trashcan. After the two men were placed in handcuffs, officers located the bag which contained more than 3,500 grams of suspected methamphetamine, approximately 6,000 suspected fentanyl pills, and a large amount of cash. The burglary suspect was arrested on his warrant, and the other suspect was arrested for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

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