Briefs - The Durango Herald

AASCU names 32 higher education leaders to Millennium Leadership Initiative

American Association of State Colleges and Universities named a new class of 32 senior-level higher education professionals will participate in the Millennium Leadership Initiative. ...

DATE: Mar 31, 2021 | CATEGORY: Business

CDOT crews to fill cracks in pavement on U.S. Highway 160

The Colorado Department of Transportation will perform crack-sealing this week and next week on U.S. Highway 160, south of Durango, from the junction of Highway 3 to the Farmington Hill inte...

DATE: Mar 30, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Lake Nighthorse to open Friday

Lake Nighthorse Recreation Area will open Friday. The lake will be open for non-motorized recreation from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from Friday to May 9. D...

DATE: Mar 29, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

New Mexicans 75 and older no longer need event codes to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments

New Mexico Department of Health announced New Mexicans 75 years and older who are registered at Seniors will receive invitations to schedule appointments. They may then schedule an appoint...

DATE: Mar 29, 2021 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Pinon Hills church in Farmington to host in-person Easter service

Pinon Hills Community Church invites families to attend in-person Easter services celebrating the risen savior at 8:30, 10 or 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Pastor Matt Mizell will offer an E...

DATE: Mar 29, 2021 | CATEGORY: Religion

Medical Reserve Corps assist with vaccinations

More than 650 volunteers have registered with the Southwest Colorado unit of the Medical Reserve Corps. MRCs are community-based units of both medically trained and non-medical v...

DATE: Mar 29, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

San Juan Health Partners Urgent Care offers asymptomatic antigen testing

San Juan Health Partners Urgent Care will offer asymptomatic antigen testing for COVID-19 for anyone who needs documentation for work, travel or exposure starting Tuesday. Antige...

DATE: Mar 28, 2021 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

San Juan County, N.M., Commission to meet

San Juan County, New Mexico, Commission will meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the commission chambers in the county Administration Building, 100 S. Oliver Drive, Aztec. Comments may be s...

DATE: Mar 28, 2021 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Janowsky family grateful for support

The family of Andy Janowsky would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the community of Durango. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the many acts of kindness, tribute and honor extended t...

DATE: Mar 26, 2021 | CATEGORY: Community

Fort Lewis College Calendar

Visit Saturday Canyons of the Ancients day hike, 8 a.m., cost: $10, contact: 247-7293. Monday Food giveaway with FLC Grub Hub, 11:30 a.m., contact: vsbarney@fortlewis.edu....

DATE: Mar 26, 2021 | CATEGORY: Community

Durango Area Association of Realtors offers scholarships

Durango Area Association of Realtors will award 2021 graduating students scholarships to the school of their choice. Current graduating seniors from La Plata and San Juan County h...

DATE: Mar 26, 2021 | CATEGORY: Education

Rotary Club of Durango to host talk

Representatives from the Alzheimer’s Association will speak a virtual meeting of the Rotary Club of Durango at 6 p.m. Tuesday via Zoom. Led by Debra Antista-Bianchi, regional dire...

DATE: Mar 26, 2021 | CATEGORY: Community

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