Colorado police share feedback on digital ID scans

In Colorado, citizens can present their digital ID in the form of a QR code on the myColorado app in place of a physical ID when being pulled over by some law enforcement partners, according to Government Technology. The Colorado State Patrol opted into the contactless system in November of 2020, and members of the force report positive experiences when encountering digital IDs.

“I’d say from a technology side, I don’t know of any problems we’ve run into. It’s pretty slick,” said Colorado State Patrol Sgt. Patrick Rice to Government Technology. “Once you’re in the system and logged in and somebody presents it, it’s super easy. You just scan it, it shows up and you don’t have to take anything back to the car with you.”

Sgt. Rice says only a small number of interactions with the system have been recorded. Out of the 1.34 million people registered for the myColorado app, state patrol only scanned 82 QR codes in 2022 and 191 in 2023.

Moreover, out of the 246 law enforcement agencies in the state, only 17 participate in the myColorado program, though this includes the state patrol and the municipal police Denver.

Onboarding for the state patrol amounted to a walkthrough of how to download the app and log into a law enforcement interface that enables them to scan IDs. Digital ID checks more quickly reveal sensitive information, like if a license is revoked.

The biggest issue for law enforcement, according to Sgt. Rice, is that in areas with no cell service, it can be cumbersome to upload the digital ID to a computer for a check.

Article Topics

Colorado  |  digital ID  |  identity document  |  law enforcement  |  United States