Newsletter Opinion - The Durango Herald

Letters: We need to get out more – but alone

Now more than ever, we need to be in nature to be healthy. There is plenty of historical, medical, observational and anecdotal evidence about this. I should know, I wrote my dissertation abo...

DATE: Mar 31, 2020 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Letters: Pay, rate hikes at LPEA are good things

Sue McWilliams’ letter reprimands LPEA’s board for actions which I applaud (“ Perhaps because she’s new to our area, she doesn’t know LPEA members elected directors promising to seek relief...

DATE: Mar 31, 2020 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Letters: I want to see this supermarket doing more

It is time for the management of north City Market to step up and implement protective policies for their employees as it relates to COVID-19 ( masks, gloves and social distancing of six fee...

DATE: Mar 31, 2020 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Letters: Durango council is afraid to let us vote

Aren’t we, as Durango citizens, fortunate to have City Council members that realize we are not able to think for ourselves? They know we can’t be trusted to vote correctly as far ...

DATE: Mar 31, 2020 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Letters: On virus, Trump can’t rise above truth

Before I retired, I was a member of the Public Relations Society of America. For true professionals, this organization’s code of ethics is the unbreakable rule of ethical conduct. ...

DATE: Mar 30, 2020 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Our view: Ravishing music for shut-ins

In 1963, “Wall of Sound” record producer Phil Spector had a can’t-miss idea: have his stable of artists, including The Crystals, The Ronettes and Darlene Love, cover Christmas classics such ...

DATE: Mar 30, 2020 | CATEGORY: Editorials

Letters: I am the man to lead in times of crises

I’m a 2020 candidate for U.S. Congress, I’ve lived in Durango 26 years. After driving 5,000 miles over this winter, through mountain pass blizzards, I’ve twice visited all 29 of our 3rd Cong...

DATE: Mar 30, 2020 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Letters: Will America again rise to the occasion?

What should our country do in response to the coronavirus? Opinions roughly fall into three categories. Exceptionalism: We have overreacted and can escape the fate of Italy becaus...

DATE: Mar 30, 2020 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Letter: Elect board for greener, cheaper energy

In past elections, LPEA members have elected a strong board majority in favor of seeking cheaper, cleaner energy – for our wallets, and for our ecosystem. The board has kept its p...

DATE: Mar 30, 2020 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Letters: Let’s vote Cory Gardner out in November

I once assumed that Sen. Cory Gardner was a traditional Republican like my father, a staunch defender of the Constitution and the rule of law, an advocate of fiscal responsibility, a person ...

DATE: Mar 30, 2020 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Letters: Do our homework and then let’s all vote

Decisions, decisions, what’s a person to do? Should the 32nd Street bridge be built or are we better off spending the money on a river trail extension to the thousands of people who live in ...

DATE: Mar 30, 2020 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Letters: On high gas prices, you must be patient

I thought I should respond to Michael Black’s concerns about gas prices in Durango (“ Mr. Black, I feel your pain and wonderment. However, as a former resident of Southern California, I kno...

DATE: Mar 29, 2020 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

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

Photos: Ben Nighthorse Campbell memorial

Photos/video: Scrambling for eggs

Photos: A very welcome spring stormA spring storm Tuesday and Wednesday brought 1 to 2 feet of snow to the San Juan Mountains, including about 17 inches in Silverton, 19 inches at Wolf Creek Pass and 11 inches in Telluride. Meanwhile, the moisture arrived in the form of rain in lower elevations such as Durango, which received more than eight-tenths of an inch of precipitation.

A spring storm Tuesday and Wednesday brought 1 to 2 feet of snow to the San Juan Mountains, includin...

Letters: We need to get out more – but alone

Letters: Pay, rate hikes at LPEA are good things

Letters: I want to see this supermarket doing more

Letters: Durango council is afraid to let us vote

Letters: On virus, Trump can’t rise above truth

Our view: Ravishing music for shut-ins

Letters: I am the man to lead in times of crises

Letters: Will America again rise to the occasion?

Letter: Elect board for greener, cheaper energy

Letters: Let’s vote Cory Gardner out in November

Letters: Do our homework and then let’s all vote

Letters: On high gas prices, you must be patient

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