At its July 22 meeting, the board of the Upper San Juan Health Service District, which oversees Pagosa Springs Medical Center (PSMC), approved a resolution allowing for the installation of a license plate reader camera on its property to help law enforcement identify vehicles of interest on U.S. 160.
The resolution authorizes CEO Dr. Rhonda Webb to “execute a written revocable license in favor of the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office [ACSO] to install a solar-powered camera on PSMC property in a mutually agreeable location near the corner of S. Pagosa Blvd. and Highway 160,” according to the meeting’s agenda.
Chief Administrative Officer Ann Bruzzese explained the matter to the board, offering the example she was given of helping law enforcement identify a license plate tied to a person with a warrant for murder.
She noted that, if approved, she would work to create the agreement.
Board member Erik Foss clarified that the cameras would be monitoring U.S. 160, with Bruzzese confirming that they would be aimed at U.S. 160 and would not be monitoring PSMC or its patients.
According to the resolution, which would allow the ACSO’s vendor to install the equipment, the “cameras will assist the ACSO in identifying vehicles of interest in law enforcement investigations.”
It also notes PSMC will be held “harmless from expenses, maintenance, use or damages incidental to such Equipment.”
randi@pagosasun.com
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