Surveillance Cameras
Attention
Re: Community Entrance Monitoring
Hello,
Over the past few days you may have noticed that cameras are being installed at all three entrances to the community. These cameras are to monitor the traffic coming in and out of Belle Creek and are in response to the increase in vehicle crime that we have seen in the Denver Metro Area. We have been working on this project for nearly a year and we are happy to finally be at the stage where we can share the news with the community. We are working closely with Commerce City Police Department in the implementation of this system, but the system, and data, will not belong to Commerce City.
Here is some information about the system.
The system is not actively monitored.
Data that has not been saved for an active investigation is automatically deleted after 30 days.
At no time will footage from the cameras be available to view or obtain by anyone outside of the Commerce City Police department.
Footage will only be provided to Commerce City Police with a valid and verifiable case report for an active investigation.
Only information pertaining to the time and date required for the investigation will be shared with Commerce City Police.
The purpose of this system is to collect vehicle data to provide to law enforcement after a report has been filed and a case has been opened.
No information will be released for inquiry purposes or to determine if a case report needs to be filed.
How will this system help the community?
The primary purpose of this system is to collect information that can aid in investigation and prosecution by Commerce City Law Enforcement. It is not intended as an active security system. It is a passive, data collection system. We believe that its presence in the community will help deter crime from entering Belle Creek from an outside source as they will see the signs for “24 Hour Surveillance,” posted at all three entrances. As this is a passive system it may take a while to see results as investigations and prosecutions are not immediate. We do believe that once we have assisted in the prosecution of some of these criminals, and in tandem with the deterrence of the signage, we will see a drop in the rate of theft and vandalism of vehicles here in Belle Creek.
Should you be concerned about privacy?
No, absolutely not. This is a passive system and nothing is being monitored. The only time any information will be viewed is if we have a valid and verifiable case report from Commerce City Police Department that requests specific information. We will not just turn data over. We will not, at any point, be collecting information on who is coming or going from the neighborhood outside of an active investigation.
An example of this may be if a car is broken into, the suspect vehicle is caught on a Ring camera, and the owner of the vehicle files a report with police. The police would then open a case file for the incident. They would then use that valid and verifiable case number to request the camera information pertaining to a specific vehicle, matching the reported description, that entered or exited the community during the time that the crime was committed. That data would be turned over so that a vehicle identification could be made and place the vehicle in the vicinity of the crime at the time it took place. This of course does not prove guilt but may assist law enforcement in identifying suspects.
A big thank you to the Metro District #1 Board for their leadership and approval of this program. We all believe that it will go a long way to making our community safer.
Any further questions regarding this system can be directed to the Family Center Manager, Kyle Burnett at manager@bellecreek.org.
Thank you!