I want to say a few words about the Flock system that the Durango Police Department is initiating in the city.
First, a quote from Ben Franklin: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
If you watch a sampling of the thousands of police videos available online – many of which often violate constitutional rights – one of the most common phrases you will hear from law enforcement officers is: “In this day and age … blah blah blah.” What they mean by this is that the extraordinary dangers we currently face justify violating our civil rights in order to protect us from these extraordinary threats.
The fact of the matter is this: While the COVID-19 pandemic caused societal stress and upheaval that led to a small spike in crime rates, those spikes have been subsiding to pre-pandemic levels. Pre-pandemic crime rates were at the lowest of my lifetime, beginning in 1951.
My sense of safety today is no different from any other point in my life. I do not want extra police surveillance. I do not trust any law enforcement agency to refrain from using collected data in ways that violate our civil rights. I want law enforcement to foremost protect and defend the Constitution, as they swore an oath to do. I want competent, lawful policing that relies on proper investigations.
No Flock for this citizen, thanks anyway!
Brian Clark
Durango
