Letters to the Editor - The Durango Herald

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Climate effects are felt close to home

Is climate change real yet? Wildfires burn across the American West while our community deals with the fallout of the Lightner Creek fire. Currently, wildfires are consuming more...

DATE: Jul 24, 2017 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Thanks to Hickenlooper for leadership

Public opinion polls show overwhelming disapproval of President Trump’s decision to leave the Paris Accord. Over 6 in 10 people oppose this move and say it damages U.S. global leadership. ...

DATE: Jul 24, 2017 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Kudos to the staff at the Durango DMV

I am in Arizona because of a health issue, and had somehow failed to get my truck license plate tags mailed to me from my mailbox at The Mail Room. I called the La Plata County D...

DATE: Jul 24, 2017 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Fire sparked gratitude, new friendships

I wish to thank all of those great people who made the evacuation of Lightner Creek the highly successful operation it was. Naturally, you have to first thank and praise each and ...

DATE: Jul 22, 2017 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Love is the most powerful spiritual force

Since the media and some newspapers think “We The People” love to hear about hate, I thought you would like to print my letter. Hate is a destructible emotion. It darkens the soul...

DATE: Jul 22, 2017 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Climate lobby seeks local leader support

The Durango Citizen’s Climate Lobby chapter is seeking endorsements from community and business leaders, and co-sponsors in Congress, for its carbon fee and dividend legislation. ...

DATE: Jul 22, 2017 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Coverage of climate very unbalanced

As my last act as an official Durango Herald subscriber, I would like to comment on the remarkably one-sided coverage of the political issue of climate change, formerly known as global warmi...

DATE: Jul 22, 2017 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Silverton did a nice job with celebration

The fireworks would rival any big city display and were enhanced by watching them from a campground and not having to join the traffic scene. The occasional campground security d...

DATE: Jul 22, 2017 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

‘Trail’ may be part of grazing allotment

The article titled “Illegal trail destroyed ...” (Herald, June 10) describes a rogue path that complainants said mountain bikers were actively constructing. It made clear the Columbine Range...

DATE: Jul 22, 2017 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Appreciative reader seeks more humor

Please don’t stop the syndicated columnists in the printed paper. They’ve been one of the best features, something you can’t get anywhere else. Much of the rest of the political news in the ...

DATE: Jul 22, 2017 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Costs to build, maintain wall outrageous

Fifteen to 25 billion dollars! Those are the most recent estimates for the cost of finishing the US-Mexico border wall. And it’s not only the cost to U.S. taxpayers. There’s acqu...

DATE: Jul 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Golf course owner questions Planning Department rules

This past year, I received an offer to purchase my business – Hunter’s Run Golf Course. The agreement was that I would retain the house and three acres, and the buyer would take possession o...

DATE: Jul 21, 2017 | 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