Columnists - The Durango Herald

San Juan Mountains Association steps up efforts to protect public lands this summer

San Juan Mountains Association is comprised of an amazing team of people working on issues involving access to our public lands through education and outreach. Over the past year, the SJMA ...

DATE: May 7, 2021 | CATEGORY: Stewards of the Land

Half-sister obsesses over newfound brother

DEAR ABBY: Six months ago, my husband, “Lee,” met his long-lost sister, his father’s daughter from a previous marriage. Lee’s father died when he was 6; he is now 30. Since he and his fo...

DATE: May 6, 2021 | CATEGORY: Dear Abby

Trouble sleeping? Try these exercises to put you at ease

Why is it, your brain can suddenly decide, in the middle of the night that you should wake up and think about a handful of things, over and over? Just three hours ago, my brain was screamin...

DATE: May 6, 2021 | CATEGORY: From the Extension Office

T’áá hwó’ ají t’éego: It is up to you

Am I a victim or a survivor? I am both. I’ve been the victim of abuse (sexual, physical and emotional) and survived unimaginable traumas. I tried to keep it secret because telling people ab...

DATE: May 6, 2021 | CATEGORY: Opinion

As spring arrives, 4-H members dive into learning new skills

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. It is so magical and gives a promise of new life and new beginnings. I feel it more this year than in years past; maybe it’s because I have b...

DATE: May 5, 2021 | CATEGORY: From the Extension Office

Seven tips toward a better diet for your kids

Let’s be real, feeding kids is tough! I’ve realized from firsthand experience with my three little ones that the goal here cannot be perfection. Through much trial and error, I ha...

DATE: May 5, 2021 | CATEGORY: Strength in Well-being

Wife discovers man’s secret interest

Dear Abby: I just found out my husband has been looking at escorts in the local area. I know he has watched porn, but that never bothered me. When I confronted him about seeing his searc...

DATE: May 4, 2021 | CATEGORY: Dear Abby

Mike Littwin: If you missed Biden, you missed something important

According to the folks at Nielsen, Joe Biden’s big speech Wednesday night – his first, if unofficial, State of the Union – was a ratings flop. But if those who skipped the speech ...

DATE: May 4, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Pathway to nowhere might go somewhere soon

Dear Action Line: What is with the Bike Path to Nowhere off College Drive? The whole path on the east side is wide and wonderful, including a nice swooping-upwards section across from Te...

DATE: May 3, 2021 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Get your gardening game plan together and dig in

For many gardeners, like myself, springtime is that opportunity to rub some sleep out of our eyes, sharpen our tools, do a couple of stretches on a mat calling it yoga and start getting our ...

DATE: May 3, 2021 | CATEGORY: From the Extension Office

Timothy Egan: Some Statues Tell Lies. This One Tells the Truth.

The United States is in a muddle over how to tell our history, stuck between an aggressive revisionism that would leave few commemorative statues standing, and a stubborn clinging to all the...

DATE: May 2, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Ezra Klein: Let’s launch a moonshot for meatless meat

I’m a vegan, but I’m also a realist. There’s no chance humanity is going to give up meat, en masse, anytime soon. That said, we can’t just wish away the risks of industrial animal agricultur...

DATE: May 2, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

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