Basketball - The Durango Herald

Steve Kerr calls some NBA players’ All-Star votes a ‘mockery’

MIAMI – Golden State coach Steve Kerr wishes players had taken their voting for the NBA All-Star Game more seriously, calling it a “mockery” after nearly 300 players in the league wound up o...

DATE: Jan 24, 2017 | CATEGORY: Professional Sports

Bracketology: NCAA hoops committee to give tournament peek

NEW YORK – The selection committee for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is getting into the bracketology business and borrowing an idea from the College Football Playoff, hoping it will ...

DATE: Jan 24, 2017 | CATEGORY: College Sports

Warriors coach Steve Kerr calls All-Star votes a ‘mockery’

Warriors coach disappointed in some player votes

DATE: Jan 23, 2017 | CATEGORY: Professional Sports

Villanova, Kansas stay 1-2 in AP Top 25 poll

Unbeaten Gonzaga up to No. 3

DATE: Jan 23, 2017 | CATEGORY: College Sports

Timberwolves, Towns too much for Nuggets

Minnesota big man scores 32, makes go-ahead shot in win

DATE: Jan 23, 2017 | CATEGORY: Professional Sports

Trier returns, No. 14 Arizona shuts down No. 3 UCLA 96-85

LOS ANGELES – Boosted by the return of Allonzo Trier, No. 14 Arizona showed off a potent offense to go along with its swarming defense. Trier led a late run in the first half and ...

DATE: Jan 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: College Sports

No. 21 Fort Lewis rolls over Chadron State for 28th consecutive home win

10 Skyhawks score in 28th consecutive home win

DATE: Jan 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: College Sports

Herrera’s big night leads Fort Lewis women to victory

Guard’s 27 points, Yocky double-double lead to FLC win

DATE: Jan 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: College Sports

Callison’s 30 propels Washington State past Colorado in OT

PULLMAN, Wash. – As Washington State held a narrow lead over Colorado midway through the second half, Charles Callison was on track for a career outing. Then Callison hit two more...

DATE: Jan 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: College Sports

Durango girls get help from all angles in win against Grand Junction Central

Team comes together in hard fought win

DATE: Jan 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: High School Sports

Durango boys basketball drops league opener to Grand Junction Central

Big first half leads Grand Junction Central past Durango

DATE: Jan 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: High School Sports

Regis women’s basketball gets revenge, beats Fort Lewis

Rangers overcome injury to star, avenge loss

DATE: Jan 20, 2017 | CATEGORY: College Sports

Photos: Yards of beauty

Photos: Mancos BurroFest

Photos: Battle of the Animas

Photos: Animas River Days

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

Steve Kerr calls some NBA players’ All-Star votes a ‘mockery’

Bracketology: NCAA hoops committee to give tournament peek

Warriors coach Steve Kerr calls All-Star votes a ‘mockery’

Villanova, Kansas stay 1-2 in AP Top 25 poll

Timberwolves, Towns too much for Nuggets

Trier returns, No. 14 Arizona shuts down No. 3 UCLA 96-85

No. 21 Fort Lewis rolls over Chadron State for 28th consecutive home win

Herrera’s big night leads Fort Lewis women to victory

Callison’s 30 propels Washington State past Colorado in OT

Durango girls get help from all angles in win against Grand Junction Central

Durango boys basketball drops league opener to Grand Junction Central

Regis women’s basketball gets revenge, beats Fort Lewis

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