The police officer who used Flock Safety surveillance data to wrongfully accuse a Denver woman of stealing a package will face disciplinary action from his employer — though it’s not clear how.
“We have reviewed the event and have taken steps to assure that our police officers continue to use their best judgment in interaction with persons whom we have contact,” wrote J.D. McCrumb, administrator for the town of Columbine Valley, in a statement released to media outlets.
“We have decided that appropriate disciplinary action will be applied to the officer involved in this event,” it continued.
But the town hasn’t apologized to Chrisanna Elser, the Denver resident who was falsely accused in the case.
“It would be nice to hear, especially being treated that way,” she said on Tuesday.
Denverite first reported on the incident. Sgt. Jamie Milliman, an employee of the Columbine Valley Police Department, questioned Elser at her doorstep in southwest Denver on Sept. 27. He said he was investigating a package theft in Bow Mar, the small town just to Denver’s southwest.
“You know we have cameras in that jurisdiction and you can’t get a breath of fresh air, in or out of that place, without us knowing, correct?” he told Elser in a video captured by her doorbell. He went on to accuse her of stealing a package, saying it was a “lock.”
His main evidence was data from the town’s Flock Safety camera system, which had tracked Elser’s vehicle crossing through Bow Mar. But Elser later proved she was simply driving through town on her way to her tailor — including through footage captured by her Rivian truck.
Milliman also claimed to have video footage from the home of the person whose package was stolen. But he refused to show it to Elser, saying she would have to go to court in December. He said that he was not going to give Elser “any courtesy” because she had decided to “lie to me.”
“From then on, I made it a mission every single day,” she told Denverite in an interview. “I couldn’t believe (that this was) holding over my head until December, and my bosses and my work — to be worried and also to waste everybody’s time on this.”
The police only dropped the charge after Elser eventually presented her evidence in an email to the police chief, Bret Cottrell.
The town also appeared to defend its police department in the statement, saying that it acted as soon as she provided the evidence.
“Our officer, using the evidence and information available to him at the time, had a reasonable belief in issuing a summons. It was not until approximately two weeks later that exculpatory evidence was submitted to our department for review, and the decision was made to drop the charges,” McCrumb wrote in the statement.
But Elser said the town could have acted much faster.
She called Milliman the day after the incident to ask for his evidence. She and her husband left messages for the Columbine Valley police chief, Bret Cottrell, for four days straight in the week after the incident, according to notes she kept.
“I’d been trying to get in touch with them for two weeks to give them the evidence,” she said in an interview on Tuesday. “I wanted to speak to a supervisor even that afternoon.”
A week after the incident, the Columbine Valley Police Department posted to the Nextdoor social network, asking for any footage of a “suspect” green Rivian truck, an apparent reference to Elser’s vehicle.
“Instead of returning my calls, they were having the public getting more evidence for them!” she wrote in an email to Denverite. “They could have just called me back... :)”
Denverite requested further comment on Tuesday from officials in both towns, asking what exactly Milliman did wrong to merit discipline and what disciplinary action would be taken. None immediately responded.
“As we review this matter, we will exercise our efforts to ensure that our citizens continue to have faith in our officers and department. We believe in maintaining transparency and will continue to protect and serve the communities of Columbine Valley and Bow Mar with professionalism and integrity,” the town’s statement read.
The story has gained international attention, including hundreds of thousands of views on social media and interviews from international reporters, Elser said.
