Letters to the Editor - The Durango Herald

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Don’t listen to voices from gutter

The pathetic efforts by Christi Zeller, J. Paul Brown (Herald, May 11) and Ann McCoy Harold (Letters, May 8) to discredit Jeff Berman through personal attacks loaded with misinformation and ...

DATE: May 17, 2014 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Television not the most important issue

I hope that the residents of Southwest Colorado are not swayed to vote for Cory Gardner as a result of his bill for a study to introduce Denver TV here. While I do want to be informed on pol...

DATE: May 15, 2014 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

‘Mallard Fillmore’ in comics is ironic

Here is an irony: “Mallard Fillmore” is below “Rose is Rose” in the Sunday funnies – I mean, “Funday Sunnies.” Ultimate irony: “Mallard Fillmore” is in the funnies. Davitt M. Arm...

DATE: May 15, 2014 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Protect fragile residential neighborhoods

Vacation rentals are, by definition, commercial activities and inconsistent activities for residential neighborhoods. I urge the city not to expand their use beyond the 500-foot limitation n...

DATE: May 15, 2014 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Quieting dogs is owner’s responsibility

As a fellow dog owner, I was dismayed by Ean McCormick’s letter (Herald, April 30) regarding human behavior and dog friendliness. It appears McCormick feels that other people are responsible...

DATE: May 15, 2014 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Headlines suggest problems with marijuana

In recent days I have read these headlines in the Herald: “As Colorado allows pot sales, others reverse their course” (March 10); “Like to drive high? You might want to think twice about tha...

DATE: May 15, 2014 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Tipton took stand for land, water fund

Thanks to Rep. Scott Tipton for his support of the Land and Water Conservation Fund for Colorado. The Land and Water Conservation Fund celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. ...

DATE: May 13, 2014 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Assessor’s team on county appraisal mission

It’s May, the snow is past, change is in the air, and the assessor’s office is mailing intervening-year notices of value to those who have changed their properties. By change, I mean buildin...

DATE: May 13, 2014 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Fair and equal are not synonymous

Kudos to Mike Sigman (Herald, April 23) for his letter concerning the unequal pay myth, and the Herald’s editorial on the subject. President Barack Obama repeats the idea that women earn onl...

DATE: May 13, 2014 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Vacation rentals offer supplemental income

Vacation rentals are an efficient way to elevate the financial well-being of people who live and work in Durango. Technology is creating markets by letting people share excess resources. Wha...

DATE: May 13, 2014 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Learn about danger from wireless devices

Recently, the unprecedented rise in autism has been a hot topic in the news. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it has risen 30 percent in the last two years, ...

DATE: May 13, 2014 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

TV makes Coloradans talk New Mexico

It looks like Albuquerque is really having big problems with its police department. At least that’s what I see on TV. I hope all the new training will help. Wait, why am I talking about Albu...

DATE: May 13, 2014 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

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...

Don’t listen to voices from gutter

Television not the most important issue

‘Mallard Fillmore’ in comics is ironic

Protect fragile residential neighborhoods

Quieting dogs is owner’s responsibility

Headlines suggest problems with marijuana

Tipton took stand for land, water fund

Assessor’s team on county appraisal mission

Fair and equal are not synonymous

Vacation rentals offer supplemental income

Learn about danger from wireless devices

TV makes Coloradans talk New Mexico

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