Associated Press - The Durango Herald

Colorado's Democratic governor commutes the sentence of elections clerk Tina Peters after pressure from President Trump

DENVER (AP) — Colorado's Democratic governor commutes the sentence of elections clerk Tina Peters after pressure from President Trump. ...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen ending campaign after redraw of his Memphis district

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee announced Friday that he is ending his bid for reelection, his career upended by the redistricting battles that are sweeping the co...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Pentagon halts deployments to Poland and Germany to cut troop numbers in Europe, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is drawing down thousands of troops in Europe by canceling deployments to Poland and Germany as opposed to yanking forces already stationed there, U.S. officia...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

A new Ebola outbreak is confirmed in a remote Congo province, with 65 deaths recorded

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Africa’s top public health body on Friday confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Congo’s remote Ituri province, with 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths recorded so far. Nei...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Golden Minerals: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

DENVER (AP) — DENVER (AP) — Golden Minerals Co. (AUMN) on Friday reported a loss of $602,000 in its first quarter. On a per-share basis, the Denver-based company said it had a loss of 4 cent...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Trump weighs Taiwan arms package after summit aimed at steadying US-China ties

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Ch...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Justice Department to seek death penalty for man charged with killing 2 Israeli Embassy staffers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department will seek the death penalty for the man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum, p...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Powell's tenure as Fed chair marked by fight for independence while trying to tame inflation

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Jerome Powell was sworn in as chair of the Federal Reserve eight years ago, economists worried that inflation and interest rates were too low and that too few American...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Kyiv mourns as death toll from Russian attack in the Ukrainian capital rises to 24

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The death toll from a Russian missile attack that flattened a Kyiv apartment building rose Friday to 24, including three teenagers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Texas high court rejects removal of Democratic lawmakers who led quorum break over redistricting

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court on Friday refused to declare that Democratic lawmakers who briefly fled the state in 2025 to block a vote on new congressional maps pushed by Pre...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Takeaways from AP's interview with Colombian woman deported to Congo by US

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Trump administration has deported 15 Latin Americans to the Democratic Republic of Congo, sending them to an unfamiliar country thousands of miles from home — many ...

DATE: May 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Trump says Xi is considering a detained pastor's case, but freeing activist Jimmy Lai is 'tough'

HONG KONG (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping of releasing a prominent detained pastor and imprisoned Hong Kong activist Jimm...

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

Colorado's Democratic governor commutes the sentence of elections clerk Tina Peters after pressure from President Trump

Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen ending campaign after redraw of his Memphis district

Pentagon halts deployments to Poland and Germany to cut troop numbers in Europe, AP sources say

A new Ebola outbreak is confirmed in a remote Congo province, with 65 deaths recorded

Golden Minerals: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Trump weighs Taiwan arms package after summit aimed at steadying US-China ties

Justice Department to seek death penalty for man charged with killing 2 Israeli Embassy staffers

Powell's tenure as Fed chair marked by fight for independence while trying to tame inflation

Kyiv mourns as death toll from Russian attack in the Ukrainian capital rises to 24

Texas high court rejects removal of Democratic lawmakers who led quorum break over redistricting

Takeaways from AP's interview with Colombian woman deported to Congo by US

Trump says Xi is considering a detained pastor's case, but freeing activist Jimmy Lai is 'tough'

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