In south Denver’s Fort Logan neighborhood, a police sergeant from Columbine Valley Police Department who covers the nearby town of Bow Mar, showed up unannounced at a woman’s doorstep with a chilling message:
“You can’t get a breath of fresh air in or out of that place without us knowing.”
That woman learned the hard way what happens when automated surveillance replaces actual police work.
A Case Built on Cameras, Not Evidence
When the sergeant knocked on her door, he didn’t come seeking information,he came with an accusation. A $25 package had been stolen in Bow Mar, and he claimed that Flock license-plate reader cameras had “caught” her in town.
“Just as an example, you’ve driven there about 20 times in the last month,” he told her.
Armed with nothing but a database of her car’s movements, he presented his “proof.” He even insisted a Ring video “locked” the case beyond doubt, saying:
“I guess this is a shock to you, but I am telling you, this is a lock. One hundred percent. No doubt.”
But when she asked to see this supposed smoking-gun video, he refused:
“If you’re going to deny it, I’m not going to give you any courtesy. If you’re going to lie to me, I’m not going to give you any courtesy.”
Instead, he left her with a petty-theft summons, her reputation and career suddenly hanging by a thread.
Her Own Cameras Saved Her–Most People Aren’t So Lucky
The victim didn’t fold. She gathered proof from her own sources: video from her tailor’s shop, GPS data from her Rivian truck, and her phone’s location logs. Together, they showed that she had merely driven through Bow Mar that day, never stopping anywhere near the alleged crime scene.
Weeks later, she learned that on October 7, police were still asking the public for video of her truck in the area, confirming that their “airtight” Flock and Ring footage never actually existed. The surveillance network that supposedly “sees everything” had seen nothing at all.
Only after she sent a 7-page affidavit and hours of timestamped footage did the department quietly void the charge. No apology. No accountability. Just silence.
The Illusion of Omniscience
This case shows what happens when police mistake surveillance coverage for certainty. Flock cameras log every plate, every movement, every routine drive but they don’t know who’s behind the wheel, why someone’s there, or what they’re doing.
It’s the same blind faith we’ve seen in geofence warrants, where Google location data has led to innocent people being interrogated or even jailed just because their phones happened to ping a nearby tower. When data replaces evidence, everyone becomes a suspect.
“Nothing Gets In or Out”
Bow Mar’s sergeant wasn’t exaggerating when he said, “nothing gets in or out of that town without us knowing.” He was describing a surveillance grid so pervasive that it erases the presumption of innocence. Every movement is logged, every trip stored for analysis. As this woman’s story proves, even perfect data can still create perfect injustice.
A Wake-Up Call
The victim’s ordeal should terrify anyone living in a city blanketed with Flock cameras, ALPRs, and doorbell partnerships. She was only exonerated because she had the technical know-how and resources to fight back.
Most people wouldn’t stand a chance.
Mass surveillance doesn’t make us safer–it just makes mistakes faster, louder, and harder to undo.