Letters to the Editor - The Durango Herald

‘Reflected on endless mass shootings’

On Nov. 17, I attended the annual symphonic concert by the Southwest Civic Winds at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. The enjoyable performance commemorated the co-founder of...

DATE: Nov 26, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Planning officials living in bubble’

Call me a trifle cynical, but with rare exceptions, growth never pays for itself. Revenue streams just can’t keep up with expenditures. Why? First, growth’s new property taxes and the sales ...

DATE: Nov 26, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Still have card after 60 years’

Nov. 22, 1963, is a day that touched my heart and soul. I will never forget! I was 12 years old in history class, when we received word that our then President John F. Kennedy had been shot ...

DATE: Nov 26, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Property taxes absurdly low. Come on!’

Colorado’s property taxes are absurdly low. How can it be said lower taxes are needed? Colorado does not fund education, which includes low teacher pay. In many states, it is the property ta...

DATE: Nov 26, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

No ‘peace until hostages released’

It is disheartening to see people who support Hamas. Hamas uses human shields, human atrocities and human hostages as a tool for destroying Jews. Hamas must be destroyed or will build bigger...

DATE: Nov 26, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘A smear ad campaign against Boebert’

Progressive dark money PAC is at it again. Rocky Mountain Values is running a smear ad campaign against Congresswoman Lauren Boebert. The ad accuses the congresswoman of voting against lower...

DATE: Nov 26, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Ballot in one hand, AR-15 in other’

OK, now I get it. I don’t feel the love for Donald Trump and admittedly, never have. I’m amazed he’s not in a prison cell with the maggots who did his dirty work on Jan. 6. Trump is a liar a...

DATE: Nov 26, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘City should pay Simpson’s attorney fees’

I would like to add a couple points to the ongoing battle between John Simpson and the city of Durango regarding the open records controversy. Colorado law provides going to court as the onl...

DATE: Nov 26, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Mini-roundabout’s ‘complexities, problems’

The desire to fix Malfunction Junction (Third Avenue/Florida Road/15th Street), initially resulting in a city proposal for a mini-roundabout, has been followed by a proliferation of simpler,...

DATE: Nov 22, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Entered point of no return’

Dark and ominous days ahead. We have now entered the point of no return. Our politicians, on both sides, have agreed to continue with more than $2 trillion dollars per year of deficit spendi...

DATE: Nov 22, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Electric heating less expensive than natural gas’

It is true for my circumstance: Electric heating has proven to be less expensive than Atmos Energy natural gas. For the past two months, heating with electric has cost me about one-quarter o...

DATE: Nov 22, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Putting fox in charge of chicken coop’

Doesn’t it seem incredible that the more the breadth and depth of the former president’s mischief is exposed in the courts, the more wildly popular he gets in the polls? Not only that, but h...

DATE: Nov 22, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

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...

‘Reflected on endless mass shootings’

‘Planning officials living in bubble’

‘Still have card after 60 years’

‘Property taxes absurdly low. Come on!’

No ‘peace until hostages released’

‘A smear ad campaign against Boebert’

‘Ballot in one hand, AR-15 in other’

‘City should pay Simpson’s attorney fees’

Mini-roundabout’s ‘complexities, problems’

‘Entered point of no return’

‘Electric heating less expensive than natural gas’

‘Putting fox in charge of chicken coop’

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