Associated Press - The Durango Herald

Judge asks why jail placed suspect in White House correspondents' dinner attack on suicide watch

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal magistrate judge on Monday pressed a jail official to explain why a man charged with trying to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and attemp...

DATE: May 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Russia declares a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine to mark Victory Day

Russia's Defense Ministry declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, but it threatened to ...

DATE: May 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Rudy Giuliani is breathing on his own while hospitalized with pneumonia, spokesperson says

NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is breathing on his own after being hospitalized with pneumonia and placed on a ventilator, his spokesperson said Monday. Giuliani, 8...

DATE: May 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

John Sterling, theatrical Yankees broadcaster known for enduring home run calls, dies at 87

NEW YORK (AP) — John Sterling, the longtime radio broadcaster known for extravagant, individualized home run calls and declaring "theee Yankees win!” after each of New York's victories, died...

DATE: May 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

What to know as the US tries to open the Strait of Hormuz and a ceasefire wavers

The ceasefire in the Iran war abruptly faced its most perilous moment Monday after the United States began trying to open the Strait of Hormuz to allow hundreds of stranded commercial ships ...

DATE: May 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

States across the wildfire-prone Western US are using AI for early detection

On a March afternoon, artificial intelligence detected something resembling smoke on a camera feed from Arizona’s Coconino National Forest. Human analysts verified it wasn't a cloud or dust,...

DATE: May 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Iran war has put foreign workers in the Gulf at greater risk while raising the cost of going home

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — He had met his 6-year-old son only once. A few days together in a life otherwise spent apart. For 15 years, Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun worked in Saudi Arabia, sending m...

DATE: May 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

As US plans fewer troops in Germany, Europe sees need for bigger role within NATO

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — European leaders on Monday said President Donald Trump’s surprise decision to pull thousands of U.S. troops out of Germany is just the latest signal that Europe must ...

DATE: May 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

FACT FOCUS: Why nearly 4.3 million people are no longer receiving food stamps

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins this week attributed a multimillion-person drop in the number of participants receiving food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program...

DATE: May 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

A second sloth dies after transfer to a central Florida zoo from troubled Sloth World

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A second sloth taken to a central Florida zoo for rehabilitation has died out of a group given up by a yet-to-open tourist attraction facing scrutiny for the deaths of m...

DATE: May 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

A stunning 9-6 Avalanche win over the Wild turns a defense-first series into a 15-goal frenzy

DENVER (AP) — Two of the NHL's best defenses and a pair of the game's ironfisted goaltenders are squaring off in Round 2, promising a paucity of pucks flashing the red light in the Minnesota...

DATE: May 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

New Mexico seeks child safety restrictions on Meta apps and algorithms in trial's 2nd phase

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico state prosecutors are seeking fundamental changes to Meta's social media apps and algorithms to safeguard children in the second phase of a landmark trial on...

DATE: May 4, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Photos: Iron Horse Bicycle Classic pro road racesCyclists had beautiful day to ride into Silverton on Saturday

Cyclists had beautiful day to ride into Silverton on Saturday

Photos: Durango High School graduation ceremony

Photos: Durango Big Picture High School graduates receive diplomas

Durango police chief says technology name of game in modern policingAI bodycams, first responder drones and more in store for DPD

Artificial intelligence, drone first responders and body cameras that can translate 50 languages aren’t far-flung concepts of some opaque Hollywood future anymore. Even in Durango, they are becoming staples of modern policing.Durango Police Department is embracing technological advancements in what Police Chief Brice Current described to city councilors earlier this year as a “cautious” yet “progressive” approach.Since at least April, Current has stressed how DPD’s top priority with new technology is reinforcing public safety. Since at least April, Current has attended various community meetings about new technology the police department is adopting, where he’s stressed how DPD’s top priority with new technology is to reinforce public safety. He has also addressed residents’ concerns about how powerful some new technologies, including Flock Safety and other automated license plate reader cameras, have become – an ongoing conversation between DPD, the city and advocates for tighter automated license plate reader regulations in Durango.At a Kiwanis Club of Durango meeting last month, for example, Current addressed Flock cameras and drones, and also the importance of trust and accountability for law enforcement.“It is healthy for the public – if we’re going to be one Durango and we’re going to work together – to question government. I question government,” he said.

Current said accountability for officers and third-party technology services is necessary, and that requires education and transparency.Evoking laughter, Current showed a video clip of a drone launching a net at a person.“It requires no training, no policy, and there’s no way we’re ever going to use this,” he said. “There’s lots of other technology out there that is really cool, but just doesn’t fit in Durango right now.”Grappler systems that cast nets to trap a car’s tires are no longer gadgets used only by Batman in films and comic books. Current said Castle Rock uses just such a system. But they aren’t a good fit for Durango.“Those are great tools, don’t get me wrong, but there’s some – like facial recognition, some other things – that just aren’t going to fit in this community and shouldn’t fit here for a long time,” he said.New technologies at DPDDraft One AI Reporting by Axon is an audio transcription service that can identify multiple people in a body camera recording and produce a police report based on what is captured.Current said he held off on trying a demo of Draft One for a long time, because although DPD has used transcription services for years, he didn’t feel comfortable bringing an AI-generated police report to court.But AI transcription technology has come a long way, he said.“This system can take five different people or more at a time and assign who they are and transcribe what they’re saying in the report,” he said.Another benefit, he said, is it trains officers to speak into their body cameras more regularly to record what they are thinking and observing. That helps the veracity of officers’ testimony in court.“When you’re pulling a vehicle over, you used to say in court, ‘(The suspect is) reaching under the seat. I saw him doing some stuff that made me feel nervous.’ And the jury’s like, ‘Hmm, you’re saying that now because you found 2 pounds of dope in his car. But is that really what you’re thinking?’” Current said.Now, officers speak directly into their body cameras to capture not just what the body camera sees but what they are thinking and how they are processing a situation as it unfolds.“‘I’m feeling pretty nervous right now. He keeps reaching under his car (seat).’ They’re talking to their camera. ‘He’s waited two blocks to turn to pull over. That’s odd,’ ... It’s teaching the officer to talk more about what they’re feeling in the reports,” he said.DPD is using Draft One transcripts in misdemeanor cases, although it hasn’t begun using them in felony cases, Current said. But he is confident it will start using them in felony cases soon.The police department’s body cameras are now able to livestream video to the police station and 911 dispatchers at the Durango Emergency Communications Center, allowing first responder agencies to monitor situations in real time.Current said DPD is looking into getting language translation capabilities in 50 different languages for body cameras, but that feature comes with a higher price tag and the police department is waiting on grant funding to make a move.DPD is also implementing AI software into its internal systems to quickly search statutes to determine what charges might best match a situation, to flag internal affairs reviews if officer misconduct is detected in video footage, and more.

By now, residents may have noticed one or both of the drone first responders DPD deployed this year to survey incidents faster than officers can reasonably be expected to arrive on scene.Police used a drone last month to locate a missing boy near the Animas River. The drone deployed from Durango Fire Protection District Station No. 1 downtown and arrived in the general area the boy was last seen – behind the Durango Mall – in just a few minutes.Police also deployed a drone last week to the scene of a fatal shooting near Durango Skate Park.Within two minutes of the shooting, police launched a drone and got an aerial view of the scene “within seconds” of it being launched, according to a DPD news release.A second drone was launched a minute later.“The Durango Police Department’s Drone as First Responder system arrived above the scene before officers,” the release said. “The drone operator was able to see that there was no further gunfire taking place as officers approached the area. This technology provided officers with real-time information and helped them arrive with a stronger understanding of what was happening on scene.”The two drones operate on about a 2-mile radius with flight times of about 40 minutes.

‘We’ve learned to vet them’DPD and the city began to face harsher scrutiny from residents last year after members of DeFlock Durango performed records requests for Flock audits that revealed vehicle and license plate data was appearing in searches by law enforcement agencies across the country that have 287(g) cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Flock Safety has faced pushback from communities around the country for what some opponents of ALPRs call a mass surveillance system of Orwellian proportions. Critics have bashed Flock for providing data to federal law enforcement, for questionable privacy policies when it comes to captured data and for a lack of oversight on how police departments use data.

Current has repeatedly insisted Flock cameras do not constitute “mass surveillance,” although he has acknowledged privacy and abuse of power concerns.He said things are changing for the better with Flock after it faced backlash for working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.He said DPD has always dealt with third-party technology services, and over time it’s leaned to vet companies it partners with.When legislation required police to start wearing bodycams, police had issues with camera companies not storing data as required by law.“Do we trust these groups? Well, we've learned to vet them,” he said.cburney@durangoherald.com

AI bodycams, first responder drones and more in store for DPD

Photos: Fort Lewis College commencement ceremony

Photos: Ron Keller Invitational track meetDemons win home meet against local schools on Saturday

Demons win home meet against local schools on Saturday

Photos: Ben Nighthorse Campbell memorial

Photos/video: Scrambling for eggs

Photos: A very welcome spring stormA spring storm Tuesday and Wednesday brought 1 to 2 feet of snow to the San Juan Mountains, including about 17 inches in Silverton, 19 inches at Wolf Creek Pass and 11 inches in Telluride. Meanwhile, the moisture arrived in the form of rain in lower elevations such as Durango, which received more than eight-tenths of an inch of precipitation.

A spring storm Tuesday and Wednesday brought 1 to 2 feet of snow to the San Juan Mountains, includin...

Judge asks why jail placed suspect in White House correspondents' dinner attack on suicide watch

Russia declares a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine to mark Victory Day

Rudy Giuliani is breathing on his own while hospitalized with pneumonia, spokesperson says

John Sterling, theatrical Yankees broadcaster known for enduring home run calls, dies at 87

What to know as the US tries to open the Strait of Hormuz and a ceasefire wavers

States across the wildfire-prone Western US are using AI for early detection

Iran war has put foreign workers in the Gulf at greater risk while raising the cost of going home

As US plans fewer troops in Germany, Europe sees need for bigger role within NATO

FACT FOCUS: Why nearly 4.3 million people are no longer receiving food stamps

A second sloth dies after transfer to a central Florida zoo from troubled Sloth World

A stunning 9-6 Avalanche win over the Wild turns a defense-first series into a 15-goal frenzy

New Mexico seeks child safety restrictions on Meta apps and algorithms in trial's 2nd phase

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