BOULDER, Colo. — The Boulder Police Department is crediting a system of license plate readers for helping officers find a teenage girl who was the center of an Amber Alert Tuesday morning.
Boulder PD said it received a call around 8 p.m. on Monday that a man had reportedly threatened a 16-year-old girl, forced her into his pick-up truck, and left the scene near the 4500 block of 19th Street. Patrol officers and detectives began their investigation and learned that the pair knew each other.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) put out a Missing and Endangered Alert for the girl at 11:46 p.m. and added the suspect's photo at 12:15 a.m. Tuesday, according to Boulder police. CBI issued an Amber Alert just after 6 a.m.
Through "numerous" tips from the community and Flock Safety license plate readers, Boulder PD said its investigators tracked the suspect's vehicle to Thornton.
"We learned that very shortly after this incident allegedly occurred, that the suspect vehicle was seen on a Flock camera in Thornton," Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn told Denver7 Tuesday. "We were able to get with Thornton PD right away and say, 'Hey... get some cars in this area, start checking.'"
Officers found the suspect — identified as 19-year-old Juan Manuel Bretado-Lopez — and the teen girl at a Walmart in Thornton Tuesday morning. The girl is safe and was taken back to her family, while the suspect was detained and taken to the police department for further questioning. As of the publication of this article, he has not been arrested.
Boulder
16-year-old found safe after reportedly being forced into truck in Boulder: PD
Denver7 has extensively covered license plate readers and the controversy surrounding them. While Colorado law enforcement agencies credit the technology with helping solve crimes, including auto theft and missing persons cases, citizens worry about the invasion of privacy and potential use by federal immigration authorities.
Chief Redfearn said the cameras helped officers work smarter in this case, as time was of the essence.
"Within minutes, having an idea of where that vehicle was recently is so important," he said. "So, without that information, without this technology, we would send this information out statewide. We don't know if the car is leaving the state, and it would really be up to every patrol officer, just as they're driving around, to look for this car."
Boulder PD said the automated cameras capture license plate numbers, as well as the vehicle's make, model, and color. The system does not use facial recognition and does not store personal information, like birth dates and addresses, related to anyone associated with the license plate, according to the department.
Read our previous coverage below:
- Flock cameras identify suspect in shooting of Adams County construction worker
- Denver's Flock camera task force nearly set, plans to begin meeting soon
- Denver City Council rejects contract expansion for license plate recognition cameras in the city
- Douglas County sheriff defends Flock cameras following Denver's decision to reject contract extension
- License plate reader remains hot-button issue in Denver | Denver7 Investigates
- Denver citizens, advocates speak out against automated license plate readers, call for changes
An Amber Alert must meet certain criteria before it is issued, according to CBI. That criteria includes:
- The abducted child must be 17 years of age or younger,
- The abducted child must be in immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death,
- There must be enough descriptive information available to believe a broadcast will assist or aid in the recovery,
- The activation must be requested by a local law enforcement agency or AMBER Designee from another state.
Boulder PD requested an Amber Alert roughly seven hours before it was issued by CBI. Denver7 reached out to the CBI to learn more about its Amber Alert process and why state investigators waited several hours before sending the alert to people across the Denver metro area.
In a statement, CBI spokesperson Rob Low said the agency "has to consider the impact to the entire community on issuing an Amber Alert in the middle of the night to prevent public desensitization." Low told Denver7 if people repeatedly receive alerts that are not relevant to them, they may begin to ignore the notifications.
- Read the full statement below
"The CBI in consultation with Boulder Police issued a Missing Endangered Alert at 11:46pm Monday night as soon as we had practical information about an abduction. The first alert included a photo of the missing girl and the truck she was last seen in. At 12:15 am Tuesday the CBI updated the alert with an image of the 19-year old suspect.
It should be noted that the Missing Endangered alert is immediately shared with all media outlets and in this case was also shared on CDOT electronic traffic signs.
The CBI has to consider the impact to the entire community on issuing an Amber Alert in the middle of the night to prevent public desensitization. The paramount purpose of the Alert is to recover the victim.
If people repeatedly receive alerts that are not relevant to them, they may begin to ignore or disable the notifications, which undermines the system's purpose during an emergency.
The CBI has to take into account the actual circumstances of each case and how we can best maximize the timing of an Amber Alert to capitalize on encouraging the public’s response to an emergency alert. While the Missing Endangered Alert was issued from the beginning, a thoughtful decision was made to issue the Amber Alert just after 6am as people were waking up to maximize the public’s help in finding the victim."
Redfearn said his department received "a lot of calls" from the public with tips about vehicles potentially matching the suspect vehicle's description. He said detectives will continue conducting interviews and consult with the Boulder County District Attorney's Office about any potential charges against the suspect.
