Durango police report ALPR use, limits data sharing pending stronger audits

Durango Police Chief Bryce Curran told the city council on July 7 that the department logged 696 automated‑license‑plate‑reader (ALPR) searches in May across 85 unique cases, producing life‑saving and investigative leads including vehicle recoveries and arrests.

Curran said his office is curtailing broad nationwide data sharing while it improves auditing. "I suspended most nationwide sharing until the audit process becomes more robust," he said, adding that the department will continue sharing only with agencies in Colorado, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico and will expire custom hot lists after 60 days.

Curran presented May metrics: 2,800,000 total vehicle reads over a rolling 30‑day window with about 368,800 unique plates for the period sampled, seven vehicles reported stolen in May with six recoveries, and a year‑to‑date recovery rate well above some peer cities. He also said ALPR‑linked enforcement helped arrest suspects in hit‑and‑run and DUI cases and supported noncriminal life‑safety responses such as missing‑person searches.

Councilors asked about costs, privacy, and program staffing. Curran said the ALPR program investment to date is about $153,668 since April 2024 and estimated annual maintenance costs of roughly $3,000 per camera; he noted that figure excludes staff time. He also said he has paused most out‑of‑state sharing and will provide more granular sharing data next month.

Next steps: the department will produce a monthly snapshot to align presentation dates with reporting windows, continue restrictions on broad data sharing, and provide follow‑up information about staff‑time costs and pre‑ALPR recovery comparisons at council request.