Regional News - The Durango Herald

Aztec High School plans different action over gun violence

Three months after two fellow students killed, teens will focus on solutions, not politics

DATE: Mar 13, 2018 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Passenger, vacant seat counts on Aspen flights both high

ASPEN – Figures show the number of passengers on commercial airline flights to and from Aspen is up this ski season. But the Aspen Times reports the percentage of occupied seats i...

DATE: Mar 12, 2018 | CATEGORY: Regional News

U.S. agents told about Mexican immigrant after he left Denver jail

DENVER – The Denver Sheriff’s Department has said it is investigating why immigration authorities weren’t notified of the release of a jail inmate until about an hour after he had already le...

DATE: Mar 12, 2018 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Exhibit featuring old biblical documents opening in Denver

DENVER – An exhibit featuring some of the oldest-known biblical documents is coming to Denver.f The Denver Post reports the “Dead Sea Scrolls” exhibit will be unveiled on Friday a...

DATE: Mar 12, 2018 | CATEGORY: Regional News

More human remains found near Colorado trail

COLORADO SPRINGS – More human remains, clothes and a backpack have been found near a Colorado hiking trail where a human skull was found last week. The Teller County Sheriff’s Off...

DATE: Mar 12, 2018 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Village residents seek recognition on fallout

ALBUQUERQUE – Residents of a New Mexico Hispanic village near the site of the world’s first atomic bomb test want to share their stories with Congress about health problems they say are link...

DATE: Mar 11, 2018 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Preservation group acquires Chacoan-era site in Aztec, N.M.

Site contains kivas and roads

DATE: Mar 11, 2018 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Forecasters warn of critical fire weather in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE â€“ Forecasters are warning that strong winds, low humidity and above normal temperatures are expected to combine for an unstable scenario in New Mexico. The National ...

DATE: Mar 10, 2018 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Colorado gun dealer, reality TV star, sentenced to prison

DENVER – A Colorado gun dealer and Discovery Channel reality TV show star has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison. The Denver Post reports 54-year-old Richard Wyatt o...

DATE: Mar 9, 2018 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Pueblo hospital to reduce staff in restructuring plan

PUEBLO – Hospital officials say a Pueblo medical center is going in a different direction in order to remain economically viable, resulting in the loss of nearly 300 jobs. The Pue...

DATE: Mar 9, 2018 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Ski resort increasing wages, quarterly dividends

VAIL â€“ Vail Resorts is raising the minimum wage at its United States and Canadian resorts thanks to the new U.S. tax law. The Vail Daily reports wages at Vail Resorts in the U.S...

DATE: Mar 9, 2018 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Skier dies after crashing into tree at Breckenridge

BRECKENRIDGE – Authorities say a skier died after crashing into a tree at Breckenridge Ski Resort. The Summit County Sheriff’s Office says the skier, whose name and age have not b...

DATE: Mar 9, 2018 | CATEGORY: Regional News

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