Associated Press - The Durango Herald

Drones are making Sudan's war even deadlier for civilians

CAIRO (AP) — Drone warfare has become the deadliest threat to civilians in Sudan 's conflict and both the military and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are being supplied by a num...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

FDA official who scrutinized COVID shots and antidepressants is out in latest shake-up

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Food and Drug Administration official involved in scrutinizing the safety of antidepressants, COVID-19 vaccines and other widely used therapies has been removed from her ...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Long Island Rail Road workers go on strike, halting busiest US commuter rail system

NEW YORK (AP) — Workers on New York’s Long Island Rail Road are on strike, union officials said early Saturday, paralyzing the busiest commuter rail system in North America. Labor unions rep...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Merrill Kelly throws 1st career complete game, Diamondbacks beat Rockies 9-1

DENVER (AP) — Merrill Kelly threw his first career complete game, Ildemaro Vargas was 4 for 5 with a double and two RBIs and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies 9-1 on Friday ...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Supreme Court rejects Virginia's bid to restore congressional map favoring Democrats

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Virginia’s bid to restore a congressional map that would have given Democrats a chance to pick up four seats in the closely divided Hou...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Ex-Sinaloa security chief is first of 10 indicted Mexican officials to surrender to US authorities

NEW YORK (AP) — The former secretary of public security for Mexico’s Sinaloa state appeared in a U.S. court Friday, days after his arrest in Arizona on charges he and other officials took br...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Takeaways from Trump's trip to China: Taiwan, a new framework for relationship and flattery for Xi

BEIJING (AP) — For three days in China, President Donald Trump was unusually quiet, not speaking to reporters much and even mostly staying off social media. Then he got on his plane home and...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Wild vets Brodin, Eriksson Ek each had broken foot that kept them out of playoff series loss to Avs

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Defenseman Jonas Brodin and center Joel Eriksson Ek were unable to play for Minnesota in the second-round series against Colorado in the NHL playoffs because of broken...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Colorado's Democratic governor commutes ex-election clerk Tina Peters' sentence after Trump pressure

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday commuted the sentence of election conspiracy theorist Tina Peters following pressure from President Donald Trump, the latest instance of the...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Trump and Boeing say China agreed to buy 200 aircraft, reopening a key market for the US planemaker

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing will make its first major sale to China in nearly a decade under an agreement for 200 planes announced Friday after President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese ...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Gaza airstrike targeted Hamas military wing leader, Israel says

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Friday targeted the leader of Hamas ’ military wing, Israeli officials said, but it wasn't immediately clear if Izz al-Din al...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Stock markets worldwide drop from records as worries about oil prices rattle the bond market

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market fell from its records Friday and joined a worldwide drop for stocks after higher oil prices sent a shiver through the bond market. Stocks that had been...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

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

Photos: Ben Nighthorse Campbell memorial

Photos/video: Scrambling for eggs

Drones are making Sudan's war even deadlier for civilians

FDA official who scrutinized COVID shots and antidepressants is out in latest shake-up

Long Island Rail Road workers go on strike, halting busiest US commuter rail system

Merrill Kelly throws 1st career complete game, Diamondbacks beat Rockies 9-1

Supreme Court rejects Virginia's bid to restore congressional map favoring Democrats

Ex-Sinaloa security chief is first of 10 indicted Mexican officials to surrender to US authorities

Takeaways from Trump's trip to China: Taiwan, a new framework for relationship and flattery for Xi

Wild vets Brodin, Eriksson Ek each had broken foot that kept them out of playoff series loss to Avs

Colorado's Democratic governor commutes ex-election clerk Tina Peters' sentence after Trump pressure

Trump and Boeing say China agreed to buy 200 aircraft, reopening a key market for the US planemaker

Gaza airstrike targeted Hamas military wing leader, Israel says

Stock markets worldwide drop from records as worries about oil prices rattle the bond market

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