Letters to the Editor - The Durango Herald

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Habitat raises its 38th roof in county

Congratulations to Rachel Taylor-Saghie, Kevin Bates and the board of Habitat for Humanity for funding and recently completing the 38th home in La Plata County (Herald, Oct. 7). This put a r...

DATE: Oct 17, 2013 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Bag fee is a start for thoughtful caretaking

My mother lived where Katrina hit in 2005. Not long afterward, I saw mattresses, and a jillion plastic bags in the tall trees all along the Gulf Coast. Most of the bags are still there. Why?...

DATE: Oct 17, 2013 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

League of Women Voters to host forum

The League of Women Voters of La Plata County will sponsor a ballot issue forum from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Durango City Council Chambers. Speakers will describe the two state ballot ...

DATE: Oct 17, 2013 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Turned tables would prompt calls for revolt

A group of our “legislators” has shut down the government because of a law that was ratified by both houses of Congress, signed by a president who was re-elected and then upheld by the Supre...

DATE: Oct 15, 2013 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Pass bag fee, show aloha for environment

I am somewhat of a newcomer to Durango, having moved here about two years ago. I had been living in Hawaii for 14 years, and for various reasons, I ended up here. What I immediately found we...

DATE: Oct 15, 2013 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Herald will print anything provided it’s liberal

I want to thank Rep. Scott Tipton for doing his part to help rein in the out-of-control spending of the Obama administration. There are some misguided people here in Durango who write to the...

DATE: Oct 14, 2013 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Rep. Tipton is confusing constitutional roles

Our Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, laid out his case (Herald, Oct. 10) for President Barack Obama needing to negotiate with Congress on the Affordable Care Act before Republicans will agree to...

DATE: Oct 14, 2013 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Try Jefferson’s idea and revamp government

Thomas Jefferson proposed the U.S. Constitution be ratified by each successive generation to maintain the force of popular legitimacy. With the current federal budget impasse demonstrating t...

DATE: Oct 13, 2013 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Durango should be proud of young heroes

Recently, I was walking my service dog, on a leash, on the trail by Riverview School. We both became startled by a nearby commotion. The leash entangled my legs, and I fell to the ground and...

DATE: Oct 13, 2013 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Down with Amendment 66 and bag tax

The deceptions are piling up as we approach election time. The “we need more money” for education crowd would like us to believe that wasting billions of dollars, on top of the billions alre...

DATE: Oct 13, 2013 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Erica Max will work hard, weigh issues

Having known Erica Max for many years and having worked with her on several school campaigns, I canâ€™t think of another person in Durango better qualified to serve on our 9-R school board. ...

DATE: Oct 12, 2013 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Bag ordinance takes responsibility for mess

Durango businesses give out 7.2 million plastic bags a year. Since they donâ€™t disintegrate for centuries, that means that 7.2 million plastic bags a year sooner or later find their way int...

DATE: Oct 12, 2013 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

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