Chacon wants to save us — not from crime, but from law enforcement

Among City Hall’s most pressing priorities is the crime fight — from stopping speeders to preventing deadly violence. And at a recent council session, the City Council got an encouraging update from Police Chief Darrel Guadnola about new technology and procedures in use to zero in on lawbreaking.

Guadnola recapped for the council how Flock technology for gunshot detection and license plate reading is aiding police in the crime fight, as will the use of aerial drones beginning next year. Just since the first steps of the Flock system were introduced last May, police already have detected and responded to 80 gunshots; recovered eight stolen vehicles and made six arrests using the technology.

The good news was welcomed by the council members — except Renée Chacon, the climate activist and social justice warrior who occasionally finds time to represent Ward III on the City Council. Chacon wanted to know if the north side of Commerce City was getting “just as much surveillance” through Flock as the south side. The chief tried to set her straight.