Pagosa Transparency Project Docket Record Templates
Jurisdiction
Archuleta County
Colorado
Subject
Automated license
plate recognition
Filed under
C.R.S. 24-72-201
C.R.S. 24-72-301
Status
Open

An automated license plate reader network is operating in this county.

This project files public records requests to establish, on paper, who runs it, what it costs, how long it keeps a record of your movements, and who is able to search that data.

See the docket File your own request
·Requests filed
·Answered
·Documents produced

Docket

Every request, and where it stands

Each request filed by this project is listed here with its current status. Records are posted as received.

Filed requests·

Filed under the Colorado Open Records Act, C.R.S. 24-72-201 et seq., and where the custodian is a law enforcement agency, the Criminal Justice Records Act, C.R.S. 24-72-301 et seq.
CORA custodians have three working days to respond, absent extenuating circumstances. CCJRA sets no response deadline.
Elapsed working days exclude weekends only. Public holidays are not deducted.

The request

What is being asked for

The same ten items went to every custodian. Nothing here asks for any private individual's information. Every item concerns how a public agency spends public money and operates a public surveillance system.

  1. Contracts, purchase orders, and invoices with Flock Safety, Inc., including annual cost
  2. Any written policy governing use of the system, including how long data is retained
  3. Which outside agencies can search local data, and whether federal agencies have access
  4. Audit logs of every search run in the past 24 months, with the stated reason for each
  5. Camera locations, monthly scan volumes, and any claimed investigative results

On the record

What is established so far

Everything below is a public record, a written statement from a public agency, or an open question clearly marked as one. When documents arrive they are posted in full, including anything that weighs against removing the cameras.

Templates

File your own request

These are the letters this project uses. Open one, replace the bracketed parts, and email it to the agency. Written for Colorado, and they work anywhere in the state once you swap the agency names. Free to use, no attribution needed, and you do not need to contact anyone first.

Start with the first one if you have not done this before. It tells you which of the two Colorado records statutes applies to the agency you are writing to, which is the most common thing people get wrong. The PDF is for reading and printing. The text version is for pasting straight into an email on your phone.

00Start hereWhich statute applies, the deadlines, the fee caps, and how to filePDFText
01CORA requestFor counties, towns, school districts, any non-police agencyPDFText
02CCJRA requestFor a sheriff's office or police department, filed under both statutesPDFText
03Flock / ALPR records listThe ten items, ready to attach to either requestPDFText
04Follow upWhen the response deadline passes and nothing arrivesPDFText
05After a denialDemand the written grounds. This is the one that matters.PDFText

These are letters, not legal filings. This project is not a law firm and nothing here is legal advice.

Context

Why it matters here

License plate readers photograph every passing vehicle, not only those connected to a crime, and store the results in a database that can be searched later. Because agencies share access with one another, a camera in one county can be queried from well outside it. Whether that trade is worth making is a decision for residents and the officials they elect. It is difficult to make at all without knowing the terms.

Other Colorado jurisdictions have taken it up in the open. Denver's City Council voted against renewing its Flock contract. Douglas County moved off the system entirely. Arapahoe County expanded its program in public session with the cost on the record. Archuleta County residents are owed the same public accounting.

Questions

Common questions

Is this an anti-police project?
No. Law enforcement agencies are entitled to investigative tools, and this project takes no position on the competence or good faith of any officer or deputy. The question here is narrower and procedural: what are the written terms of this system, and were they ever adopted in public? Agencies that can answer those questions have nothing to fear from the asking.
What is a CORA request?
The Colorado Open Records Act gives any person the right to inspect most records held by a state or local government body. No reason, residency, or affiliation is required. A request is simply a written description of the records sought, sent to the agency's custodian of records, who then has three working days to respond absent extenuating circumstances.
Can I file one myself?
Yes, and it is easier than most people expect. The templates on this page can be adapted to any Colorado agency in a few minutes. Requests carry more weight when they come from more than one resident.
Will documents be published even if they are favorable to the agencies?
Yes. Records are posted as received. A project that publishes selectively is not a records project, and the value of this one depends entirely on the documents being able to speak for themselves.

Participate

Take part

Two things matter more than anything else: showing up, and filing your own request. The Board of County Commissioners meets at 398 Lewis Street, with agendas posted at archuletacounty.gov. Town Council meets the first Tuesday of each month at 5:00 p.m. at 551 Hot Springs Boulevard.

Get the templates Email the project

Please email for access to the templates for requests, response documents from the requests submitted, or any related correspondence.