Action Line - The Durango Herald

Pooch owner pooh-poohs property protocol

There’s a person who walks her dog by my home every morning and evening and religiously lets her dog poop in my yard. She always picks it up, but then walks further onto my property and depo...

DATE: Apr 24, 2017 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Horoscopes aren’t helping with your hazy fortunes

A weighty concern struck me this morning as my husband and I sat down to do our morning astrological reading. With the newspaper coming out every other day now, which dates do the horoscope ...

DATE: Apr 17, 2017 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Finding a handyman shouldn’t be a hands-off task

I’m an older resident of La Plata County, and on occasion, I need a handyman. Right now, the inside of my toilet needs to be replaced. Looking at the classified ads, I noticed that one handy...

DATE: Apr 10, 2017 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Action Line Pueblo plates get a chile reception from New Mexico

What’s your take on the looming Chile War between Colorado and New Mexico? It all stems (pardon the pun) from a bill in the Colorado Legislature to put “Pueblo Chiles” on a custom license pl...

DATE: Apr 3, 2017 | CATEGORY: Action Line

When is it time to replace the city’s asphalt?

With all this talk of repeal and replace, at what point does the city decide to replace asphalt rather than repair with streaks of tar in the pattern of an Afghan? See my attached photo of t...

DATE: Mar 26, 2017 | CATEGORY: Action Line

The fluoridation debate: Water worriers go with the flow on chlorine

The people wanting Durango to get rid of fluoride seem deeply concerned about chemicals added to our drinking water. If they are so worried, why don’t they eliminate chlorine, which is also ...

DATE: Mar 19, 2017 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Thrift store workers curb diving by talking trash

What are the laws, if any, about dumpster diving within the city limits? As they say, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” A certain thrift store on East Second Avenue throws away so...

DATE: Mar 12, 2017 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Animas City puts its stamp on rural-style mail

East Third Avenue between 29th and 32nd streets is a popular place to access the Animas River Trail, the park and the river. Parking is in high demand especially for rafters, kayakers and tu...

DATE: Mar 5, 2017 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Carcass becomes lively topic thanks to endearing typo

Please investigate possible illegal voter suppression at Miller Middle School. Earlier this month, The Durango Herald reported that wildlife officials removed a “deer caucus” from the school...

DATE: Feb 26, 2017 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Weekly trip to the grocery store can be quite taxing

I’m wondering about taxes we have to pay at the grocery store. I’m attaching my Walmart receipt. I know that the city tax is 3 percent, the county is 2 percent and the state is 2.9 percent f...

DATE: Feb 19, 2017 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Utah’s ‘Mount Trump’ could make Bears Ears great again

While backpacking this autumn in Grand Gulch, Utah, we came across the beginning of a Mount Rushmore-type of monument. It’s 40-foot by 50-foot and closely resembles our 45th president. Could...

DATE: Feb 12, 2017 | CATEGORY: Action Line

There is a reason for the no-smiling rule on driver’s licenses

While getting my driver’s license renewed, the technician said, “no smiling!” when it came time to take the photo. He clarified this to say that I wasn’t allowed to show any teeth in the pic...

DATE: Feb 5, 2017 | 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

Pooch owner pooh-poohs property protocol

Horoscopes aren’t helping with your hazy fortunes

Finding a handyman shouldn’t be a hands-off task

Action Line Pueblo plates get a chile reception from New Mexico

When is it time to replace the city’s asphalt?

The fluoridation debate: Water worriers go with the flow on chlorine

Thrift store workers curb diving by talking trash

Animas City puts its stamp on rural-style mail

Carcass becomes lively topic thanks to endearing typo

Weekly trip to the grocery store can be quite taxing

Utah’s ‘Mount Trump’ could make Bears Ears great again

There is a reason for the no-smiling rule on driver’s licenses

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