Books - The Durango Herald

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Authors offer a few tips for holiday gift-giving

NEW YORK – With more than 100,000 books published each year, it’s hard to know what works best for a holiday gift. A few “experts,” from a prize-winning historian to some best-selling childr...

DATE: Nov 28, 2013 | CATEGORY: Books

American Regional English dictionary going online

MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin students and researchers set out in “word wagons” nearly 50 years ago to record the ways Americans spoke in various parts of the country. N...

DATE: Nov 26, 2013 | CATEGORY: Books

1640 psalm book could fetch $30M at NYC auction

NEW YORK – A tiny book of psalms from 1640 – believed to be the first book ever printed in what is now the United States – is poised to set an auction record for a printed book on Tuesday. ...

DATE: Nov 26, 2013 | CATEGORY: Books

U.S. Best-selling books for Nov. 19

IndieBound.org compiles a weekly list of best-selling books from independently owned bookstores. Fiction 1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Little, Brown and Co.) ...

DATE: Nov 18, 2013 | CATEGORY: Books

Native tips on life in the Colo. wild

Woman celebrates natural world

DATE: Nov 11, 2013 | CATEGORY: Books

U.S. Best-selling Books for Nov. 5

IndieBound.org compiles a weekly list of best-selling books from independently owned bookstores. Fiction 1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Little, Brown and Co.) ...

DATE: Nov 4, 2013 | CATEGORY: Books

‘Dallas 1963’ twisted by anger

“Dallas 1963” (Twelve), by Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis “Dallas 1963” by Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis provides a chilling portrait of a city terrified by the electio...

DATE: Oct 28, 2013 | CATEGORY: Books

U.S. Best-selling books for Oct. 29

IndieBound.org compiles a weekly list of best-selling books from independently owned bookstores. Fiction 1. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (Knopf) 2. The Circl...

DATE: Oct 28, 2013 | CATEGORY: Books

Hillerman revives Dad’s characters for 1st novel

Leaphorn and Chee return in ‘Spider Woman’s Daughter’

DATE: Oct 28, 2013 | CATEGORY: Books

A history of a city and its liberal ideals

Amsterdam: A History of the World’s Most Liberal City (Doubleday), by Russell Shorto No guide to Amsterdam is complete without a mention of tulips, canals and legalized pot and pr...

DATE: Oct 21, 2013 | CATEGORY: Books

U.S. Best-selling books for Oct. 22

IndieBound.org compiles a weekly list of best-selling books from independently owned bookstores. Fiction 1. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (Knopf) 2. The Signa...

DATE: Oct 20, 2013 | CATEGORY: Books

Book offers juicy peak inside Johnny Carson’s life

Johnny Carson (Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), by Henry Bushkin Hell hath no fury like a lawyer scorned. “You must never, ever repeat a word from last night,” J...

DATE: Oct 16, 2013 | CATEGORY: Books

Photos: Battle of the Animas

Photos: Animas River Days

Photos: Iron Horse Bicycle Classic mountain bike racesPlenty of spectators packed Steamworks Brewing Company on Sunday

Plenty of spectators packed Steamworks Brewing Company on Sunday

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

Authors offer a few tips for holiday gift-giving

American Regional English dictionary going online

1640 psalm book could fetch $30M at NYC auction

U.S. Best-selling books for Nov. 19

Native tips on life in the Colo. wild

U.S. Best-selling Books for Nov. 5

‘Dallas 1963’ twisted by anger

U.S. Best-selling books for Oct. 29

Hillerman revives Dad’s characters for 1st novel

A history of a city and its liberal ideals

U.S. Best-selling books for Oct. 22

Book offers juicy peak inside Johnny Carson’s life

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