Have you wondered if you’re being watched recently? Good news, loyal citizen, you’re not crazy! There’s been a lot of discourse surrounding the Durango Police Department’s contract with Flock Safety of late. Many people feel uncomfortable being incessantly watched by an untested, unsecured and corporate AI-powered surveillance network.
But what’s the stance of our city government? That any concern for this unprecedented overreach of local government is simultaneously ignorant and paranoid. You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide, loyal citizen! Oh, but my friends, you most certainly do.
In the face of local governments dead set on contracting this Orwellian nightmare of a company, local voices as well as those in other cities around the state have imagined Colorado state policy overruling city law.
And what’s the city’s response? In a recent article (Herald, Jan. 11), a representative of Clear Strategies (the city’s chosen lobbying firm for state legislation) was quoted as saying the following: “(The city opposes) legislation that creates unfunded mandates or limits tools, technologies and techniques that aid law enforcement ‘or reinforce political narratives that diminish the important contributions of law enforcement to our community.’”
I want to draw attention to a specific word here: limit. Opposition to any limiting of law enforcement tools. What does this say about our fair city? What does it say about the priorities of our city government? I’ll tell you what it doesn’t say: anything pleasant. If someone tells you their priorities in black ink? Believe them.
Jack Corinth
Durango