Books - The Durango Herald

Review: Of Cartography adventurous, playful

Before even opening the pages of Esther Belin’s newest collection of poems, Of Cartography, the multi-talented artist/poet reveals hints about her intentions. Belin’s cover illustration depi...

DATE: Oct 14, 2017 | CATEGORY: Books

Esther Belin to talk about her new book at Maria’s Bookshop

For Bayfield writer and artist Esther Belin, her new book of poems, Of Cartography, was a long time coming. Belin, whose 1999 book From the Belly of My Beauty won the American...

DATE: Oct 12, 2017 | CATEGORY: Books

Garth Brooks releasing 5-part anthology of his music, career

LOS ANGELES – Garth Brooks is taking a long look back at his career in a five-part anthology series comprising of books and unreleased music, the first of which will go on sale in November. ...

DATE: Oct 3, 2017 | CATEGORY: Books

In Quality of Mercy, a new crime-fighting duo is born

The Quality of Mercy, a debut novel by Katayoun Medhat, is garnering kudos from across the literary landscape. Comparisons to Tony Hillerman, Craig Johnson and others are being bandied about...

DATE: Sep 30, 2017 | CATEGORY: Books

Hefner dreamed of being cartoonist; instead, he changed market for top comic artists

Before he became a publisher of posed flesh and prose, Hugh Hefner dreamed of becoming a cartoonist. Young Hugh knew that the striking visual line could help deliver a message, and so he ske...

DATE: Sep 28, 2017 | CATEGORY: Books

Megafire sheds light on regional problem

Megafire, by Michael Kodas, could not be a more timely, well-researched book written about this huge threat by Mother Nature to those of us living in the western United States. T...

DATE: Sep 23, 2017 | CATEGORY: Books

Graphic novel Monsters tops diverse slate of 2017 Ignatz Award winners

Emil Ferris, having brought exquisite craft to her debut graphic novel at age 55, brought extreme gratitude to the stage over the weekend, as she was twice honored at the 2017 Ignatz Awards ...

DATE: Sep 20, 2017 | CATEGORY: Books

Book World: Tale by Stephen King and son

Some dads take their boys fishing, some throw around a ball. Stephen King and his son imagine a plague that knocks out half of Earth’s population. That’s essentially the plot of S...

DATE: Sep 20, 2017 | CATEGORY: Books

New novels bring thrills to West

Now is a great time for fans of characters and books about the West. Two of the best writers who shine a light on our part of the nation have published new novels. C.J. Box’s Par...

DATE: Aug 31, 2017 | CATEGORY: Books

Twitter retaliation: Stephen King blocks Trump from ‘It’

BANGOR, Maine – Stephen King is retaliating against President Donald Trump for blocking him on Twitter. In a post late Thursday, the Maine horror author said he would block Trump ...

DATE: Aug 26, 2017 | CATEGORY: Books

Book World: Actor Bruce Campbell offers an engaging master class in schlock

“Frankly, I can never be far enough from Hollywood,” wrote lantern-jawed Bruce Campbell in his 2001 memoir If Chins Could Kill. Now, in this variety pack of “further confessions” ...

DATE: Aug 25, 2017 | CATEGORY: Books

Stew Mosberg releases book of short stories

Stew Mosberg didn’t start off as a published writer. The Brooklyn, New York, native had spent his first career in package design and branding in Manhattan. It was during that time that he fi...

DATE: Aug 24, 2017 | CATEGORY: Books

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

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

Review: Of Cartography adventurous, playful

Esther Belin to talk about her new book at Maria’s Bookshop

Garth Brooks releasing 5-part anthology of his music, career

In Quality of Mercy, a new crime-fighting duo is born

Hefner dreamed of being cartoonist; instead, he changed market for top comic artists

Megafire sheds light on regional problem

Graphic novel Monsters tops diverse slate of 2017 Ignatz Award winners

Book World: Tale by Stephen King and son

New novels bring thrills to West

Twitter retaliation: Stephen King blocks Trump from ‘It’

Book World: Actor Bruce Campbell offers an engaging master class in schlock

Stew Mosberg releases book of short stories

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