Full transcript
WE ARE COVERING COLORADO
FIRST ON CBS NEWS AT SIX
TONIGHT FOR YOU. THE DENVER
AUDITOR SAYS HE WILL NOT SIGN
OFF ON A CITY CONTRACT WITH A
CONTROVERSIAL SURVEILLANCE
CAMERA COMPANY.
HE SENT A LETTER SAYING THAT
TO THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND
DENVER'S POLICE CHIEF THIS WEEK.
THIS IS JUST THE LATEST IN AN
ONGOING BATTLE OVER THE USE OF
CAMERAS IN THE CITY. YOUR
REPORTERS HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING
THIS STORY EVER SINCE DENVER
STARTED USING THE CAMERAS BACK
IN 2024. SINCE THEN, DENVER
POLICE SAY IT HAS HELPED THEM
SOLVE MANY SERIOUS CRIMES.
WHILE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND
SOME RESIDENTS HAVE REPEATEDLY
RAISED PRIVACY CONCERNS.
YOUR REPORTER, KELLY
WERTHMANN, TALKED TO THE CITY
AUDITOR.
AND KELLY, WHO HAS ACCESS TO
THIS DATA, IS ONE OF THE
REASONS HE SAYS HE WON'T SIGN
OFF ON A NEW CONTRACT.
WELL, MICHAEL AND KAREN, YOU
MAY REMEMBER IT WAS JUST LAST
MONTH WHEN THE MAYOR'S DIRECTOR
OF POLICY TOLD US THAT ONLY
DENVER AND DENVER POLICE
OFFICERS WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO
THE DATA FROM CAMERAS. BUT WHEN
I TALKED TO THE CITY AUDITOR
TODAY, HE TOLD ME THAT THE
DOCUMENTS THAT HE RECEIVED FROM
THE CITY, INCLUDING SINCE THIS
RECENT CONTRACT EXTENSION AND
THE PROVISIONS THAT WERE MADE,
THEY SHOW THAT 80% OF THOSE WHO
HAVE ACCESS TO THAT DATA ARE
OUTSIDE THE DENVER DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
I THINK PERSONALLY
IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION IS
SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE
PROTECTED.
DENVER AUDITOR TIM O'BRIEN,
EXPLAINING WHY HE IS NOT
SIGNING THE CURRENT CITY
CONTRACT WITH FLOC GROUP, THE
COMPANY BEHIND THE LICENSE
PLATE READING TECHNOLOGY, IN
MORE THAN 100 CAMERAS AROUND
DENVER.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S
HAPPENING TO THAT DATA WHEN IT
GETS DOWN TO A MUNICIPALITY,
AND NEITHER DOES THE DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
O'BRIEN OUTLINING HIS
CONCERNS IN THIS LETTER SENT TO
THE CHIEF OF POLICE, MAYOR AND
CITY COUNCIL, SAYING THE
CONTRACT, QUOTE, INCURS A RISK
OF LIABILITY FOR THE CITY.
I JUST WANT THAT DATA SECURE,
YOU KNOW, SO THAT YOU AND I, AS
CITIZENS, DON'T HAVE OUR DATA
BEING EXPOSED TO PEOPLE THAT
SHOULDN'T HAVE IT.
IN A STATEMENT TO CBS
COLORADO, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE
PUSHED BACK, SAYING THE
CONTRACT IS VALID AND LEGALLY
VETTED, ADDING THE CITY
ATTORNEY CONFIRMED, QUOTE,
THERE IS NO LAWFUL BASIS FOR
THE AUDITOR TO WITHHOLD HIS
SIGNATURE.
I THINK THE CHARTER TELLS ME
THAT I CAN WITHHOLD MY
SIGNATURE IF I THINK IT CREATES
A LIABILITY FOR THE CITY, AND
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I SAY IN
THAT LETTER.
O'BRIEN SAYS IN HIS PROCESS
OF REVIEWING THE CONTRACT, HE
STRUGGLED TO GET TIMELY AND
COMPLETE INFORMATION FROM CITY
DEPARTMENTS, SAYING DOCUMENTS
CAME TO HIS OFFICE HIGHLY
REDACTED.
I FIND THAT AGAINST THE LAW
ALSO BECAUSE THE AUDITOR BY
CITY CHARTER REALLY HAS
UNFETTERED ACCESS TO ANY AND
ALL INFORMATION KEPT BY CITY
GOVERNMENT.
WHAT HE DID RECEIVE RAISED
CONCERNS, SOLIDIFYING HIS
DECISION TO WITHHOLD HIS
SIGNATURE.
DO WE WANT MASS SURVEILLANCE
OR DO WE WANT TO FIGHT CRIME? I
THINK WE WANT TO FIGHT CRIME.
BUT IN DOING THAT, ARE WE MASS
SURVEILLING THE CITIZENS OF
DENVER? THAT'S THE ISSUE THAT I
THINK NEEDS TO BE WORKED OUT
BEFORE THEY CONTRACT WITH
ANYBODY.
SO THE CITY'S CONTRACT WITH
FLOC IS SET TO EXPIRE AT THE
END OF MARCH, SO MARCH 31ST.
BUT WE ARE TOLD DENVER IS ALSO
ACCEPTING BIDS FROM OTHER
COMPANIES, AND ANY FUTURE
CONTRACT IS EXPECTED TO HAVE TO
PASS BY MANY OTHER CITY LEADERS.
THAT, OF COURSE, DOES INCLUDE
THE MAYOR AND CITY