Columnists - The Durango Herald

A love letter to my veterinarian

We need more veterinarians like mine in the equine field

DATE: Feb 22, 2026 | CATEGORY: The Western Chronicles

The failure of American democracy in the era of Trump

In just over a year of Trump 2, the president’s flurry of executive orders have been like a tornado shredding the fabric of our democracy. One glaring example is Trump’s global tariffs impos...

DATE: Feb 22, 2026 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

When snow comes late, we rely on a more resilient Durango

Snow finally arrived, only two months late. An extremely low snowpack does not only shape winter, it influences our river levels, fire risk and trail conditions – influencing visitor behavio...

DATE: Feb 22, 2026 | CATEGORY: Tourism Roundup

Colorado turns 150: Honoring the stories that bind us

As we move through the rhythm of daily life with school drop-offs, work meetings or errands, it’s easy to focus only on what’s right in front of us. But every so often, it’s worth stepping b...

DATE: Feb 22, 2026 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Bathroom guest leads to unfortunate incident

DEAR ABBY: At a recent family gathering, my sister-in-law “Paula” asked my husband if she could use our bathroom. We have three in our home – one off the kitchen, one upstairs and one in our...

DATE: Feb 22, 2026 | CATEGORY: Dear Abby

Coal’s resurgence lands in the Four Corners

Two notable events occurred last week in jarring juxtaposition. The seven Colorado River basin states failed to reach agreement on how to manage the river’s ever-diminishing flows, while si...

DATE: Feb 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Improving your pets’ lives with a foster

My home is run by three fuzz balls: a husky mix (Goose), a pocket pittie (Stevie) and one perfect siamese cat (Pepperoni). All three came from Humane Societies, each arriving with their own ...

DATE: Feb 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: From the Humane Society

Dear Rachel: I want to maintain friendship but feel suffocated

I have a longtime friend who seems to want more time with me than I want to spend. I have explained that I am a home body, an introvert if you will. We have discussed this many times ove...

DATE: Feb 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Dear Rachel

What the public doesn’t know about being homeless

Our country possesses more than sufficient infrastructure to address the housing crisis, yet the public hears only metrics and numbers, the occasional article about a “knife-wielding man” or...

DATE: Feb 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Fifty years later, former couple cross paths

DEAR ABBY: I met “Bobbie” when we were in college in the early 1970s. We fell in love, got married and stayed together for seven years. Things changed; our divorce was amicable. We went on t...

DATE: Feb 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Dear Abby

Guest commentary: Don’t wait: Southwest Colorado must prepare now for wildfire season

“Be prepared in advance” is a preachy old saying that is easily ignored and readily forgotten. But the drought and dry conditions now facing Southwest Colorado bring urgent meaning to that p...

DATE: Feb 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Tony Furtado and Luke Price hit the DAC

Tony Furtado keeps busy. The Portland, Oregon-based artist may be known to most as a musician, a roots and newgrass player whose banjo and slide guitar playing kept him busy at club shows an...

DATE: Feb 19, 2026 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

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

A love letter to my veterinarian

The failure of American democracy in the era of Trump

When snow comes late, we rely on a more resilient Durango

Colorado turns 150: Honoring the stories that bind us

Bathroom guest leads to unfortunate incident

Coal’s resurgence lands in the Four Corners

Improving your pets’ lives with a foster

Dear Rachel: I want to maintain friendship but feel suffocated

What the public doesn’t know about being homeless

Fifty years later, former couple cross paths

Guest commentary: Don’t wait: Southwest Colorado must prepare now for wildfire season

Tony Furtado and Luke Price hit the DAC

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