Action Line - The Durango Herald

Did the county once have a “poor farm”?

Dear Action Line: Years ago, a city employee told me that the old, brick building at 13 Bacus was once the county “Poor House.” It looks like it’s apartments now. Do you know the history...

DATE: Oct 10, 2022 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Keep the faith, river trail and Oktoberfest fans

Dear Action Line: What is the status of the Animas River Trail project behind the high school? The signs say mid-June through late August, and it’s almost October. Construction is still ...

DATE: Oct 3, 2022 | CATEGORY: Action Line

It’s a gas: A case study in technology vs. familiarity

Dear Action Line: Peerless Tyre gas station is right across Main Avenue from a Speedway. Their signs display a constant gas war. I love Peerless ’cuz of, well, tradition. And the fact th...

DATE: Sep 26, 2022 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Skating at Folsom, and who was Claire Viles?

Dear Action Line: Recent maintenance on the unnamed trail that extends south from Demon Bridge along the east side of the Animas River included culvert replacement. Is the water flowing ...

DATE: Sep 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Leaf-peeping takes on new meaning

Dear Action Line: Yes, we all enjoy the greenery in and around Durango, and especially how all the plants have surged with summer rains. But too much of a good thing, even a green thing,...

DATE: Sep 12, 2022 | CATEGORY: Action Line

2017 sign honors fallen trooper from 1959

Dear Action Line: Why is there a sign outside the Strater Hotel dedicated to a State Trooper? I don’t know who this is or what happened. Did I miss something? – Just Joe Dear Joe: Well,...

DATE: Sep 5, 2022 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Ghosts over the Animas? Top-secret military maneuvers?

Dear Action Line: On July 8, right around sunset, I saw something odd over the Animas River. I pulled over and saw what looked almost like little miniature steam tornadoes over the Anima...

DATE: Aug 29, 2022 | CATEGORY: Action Line

The wacky reason jail snail mail was derailed to Texas

Dear Action Line: Why will personal mail to La Plata County Jail inmates need to be sent to San Antonio, Texas? Did the sheriff make a deal with Texas that its tourists can come here onl...

DATE: Aug 22, 2022 | CATEGORY: Action Line

A complex answer for a simple question about metal artwork

Dear Action Line: Is there a proper orientation to view the metal artwork on the new Holiday Inn on Camino del Rio? Driving by, it looks like some very large and messy animal had a very ...

DATE: Aug 8, 2022 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Action Line takes a peek at peaks and parks

Dear Action Line: What becomes of the scrolls that you sign at the top of 14ers? Say, for instance, that I climbed Longs Peak in 1993 or Handies Peak in 1996. (I think it’s true, give or...

DATE: Aug 1, 2022 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Hurrah for peace-bringing construction zone

Dear Action Line: Is it possible to designate a road as being a permanent construction zone? Since utility work began several weeks ago on Junction Street the traffic has never been calm...

DATE: Jul 25, 2022 | CATEGORY: Action Line

RVers take note: Twin Buttes a ‘little loud’ with highway traffic

Dear Action Line: I’m wondering if the Twin Buttes trail parking lot is the new RV homeless camp? There seem to be more and more RVs camping here. The sign on the north wall says “No cam...

DATE: Jul 18, 2022 | CATEGORY: Action Line

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

Did the county once have a “poor farm”?

Keep the faith, river trail and Oktoberfest fans

It’s a gas: A case study in technology vs. familiarity

Skating at Folsom, and who was Claire Viles?

Leaf-peeping takes on new meaning

2017 sign honors fallen trooper from 1959

Ghosts over the Animas? Top-secret military maneuvers?

The wacky reason jail snail mail was derailed to Texas

A complex answer for a simple question about metal artwork

Action Line takes a peek at peaks and parks

Hurrah for peace-bringing construction zone

RVers take note: Twin Buttes a ‘little loud’ with highway traffic

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