Flock cameras lead Colorado police to wrong suspect: "It became my job to prove my innocence"
Law enforcement agencies across the Denver metro area have touted the use of Flock cameras in recent weeks to help crack major cases, including a stolen vehicle ring in Adams County, a massive tow truck scam in Douglas County, and a drive-by shooting in Aurora.
Chrisanna Elser, however, has a much different story about the use of Flock cameras. It started with the first ring of her doorbell.
"You know why I'm here," Columbine Valley Police Sgt. Jamie Milliman said to her. The interaction was captured on her doorbell camera.
She felt she was already guilty in the eyes of the police.
"You know we have cameras in that town," Milliman said. "You can't get a breath of fresh air in or out of that place without us knowing, correct?"
It started as an attempt to confirm whether Elser's truck, a green Rivian, was the same vehicle seen driving through the town of Bow Mar, and quickly escalated.
"It went right into, 'we have video of you stealing a package,'" Elser said.
Milliman showed her photos of her truck entering and leaving Bow Mar and that he had video of her committing the theft.
"Can I see the video?" Elser asked.
"If you go to court, you can," the officer replied. "If you're going to deny it, I'm not going to extend you any courtesy."
Elser later found the theft video herself, posted on the social media site Nextdoor.
"When I saw it, I said, 'sure, it's far away, somewhat the same silhouette,'" she said. "But nobody hopped into a truck, and I think she was significantly younger than almost 50."
She said what happened next was even more concerning.
"It became my job to prove my innocence," Elser said. "And I thought it was supposed to be the other way around."
On her doorstep, the officer issued a summons, without ever looking at the surveillance video Elser had.
"We can show you exactly where we were," she told him.
"I already know where you were," he replied.
Her Rivian -- equipped with multiple cameras -- had recorded her entire route that day.
"On Sept. 22, I definitely drove through Bow Mar and went to my tailor," she said.
It took weeks of her collecting her own evidence, building timelines, and submitting videos before someone listened.
Finally, she received an email from the Columbine Valley police chief acknowledging her efforts in an email saying, "nicely done btw (by the way)," and informing her the summons would not be filed.
Elser says she was lucky she had the technology to prove her case, but with Flock technology being used across the metro area, she worries for those who don't.
"It's kind of changing the narrative," she said. "Now it's about proving where you are and what you're doing, instead of fighting crime."
CBS Colorado reached out to the Columbine Valley Police Department by phone, email, and in person for a response to Elser's concerns about how the case was handled and did not hear back.
Almost two weeks after the publication of this story, Columbine Valley Town Administrator J.D. McCrumb issued the following statement:
The Town of Columbine Valley is certainly aware of the issues surrounding a theft investigation in the Town of Bow Mar, which we protect.
Our officer, using the evidence and information available to him at the time, had a reasonable belief in issuing a summons. It was not until approximately two weeks later that exculpatory evidence was submitted to our department for review, and the decision was made to drop the charges.
We have reviewed the event and have taken steps to assure that our police officers continue to use their best judgment in interacting with persons with whom we have contact. We have decided that appropriate disciplinary action will be applied to the officer involved in this event.
As we review this matter, we will exercise our efforts to ensure that our citizens continue to have faith in our officers and department. We believe in maintaining transparency and will continue to protect and serve the communities of Columbine Valley and Bow Mar with professionalism and integrity.