Regional News - The Durango Herald

Road to Utah ski area re-opens after multiple avalanches

SALT LAKE CITY – Officials have re-opened the only road in and out of a Utah ski area east of Salt Lake City that had been closed for days due to multiple avalanches. Alta Ski Are...

DATE: Feb 9, 2020 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Colorado university to offer cannabis-related degree

PUEBLO – A university in Colorado will offer a cannabis-related degree program after receiving approval from the state. Colorado State University is expected to launch the progra...

DATE: Feb 8, 2020 | CATEGORY: Regional News

University of Northern Colorado puts Greek life on hold

DENVER – The University of Northern Colorado is barring fraternities and sororities from participating in recruitment, initiation, parties and formals this semester after reports of sexual m...

DATE: Feb 8, 2020 | CATEGORY: Regional News

CSU-Pueblo signs on to $17 million solar panel power project

PUEBLO – CSU-Pueblo has signed on to a $17 million solar panel power project at the university that will be the main generating source for the academic campus. The Pueblo Chief...

DATE: Feb 8, 2020 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Police offer reward to solve 1990 bowling alley shooting

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – A $30,000 reward has been offered for information about a shooting at a Las Cruces bowling alley in 1990 where five people were fatally shot and two others survived wounds...

DATE: Feb 8, 2020 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Man charged in 2019 killing in New Mexico arrested in Nevada

CARLSBAD, N.M. – A 21-year-old New Mexico homicide suspect has been arrested in Nevada and awaits extradition, authorities said. The Eddy County Sheriff’s Office said Preston Thom...

DATE: Feb 8, 2020 | CATEGORY: Regional News

New Mexico Senate endorses ‘red flag’ gun bill

SANTA FE – The New Mexico state Senate on Friday endorsed a “red flag” gun bill that has been prompted by concerns about a mass shooting last year in El Paso, Texas, and suicide prevention e...

DATE: Feb 8, 2020 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Ruling: Defense against excessive force by police is viable

SANTA FE – A court ruling says New Mexico criminal defendants may be allowed to argue that they were trying to defend another person from excessive force by an officer. The state ...

DATE: Feb 8, 2020 | CATEGORY: Regional News

U.S. gives Colorado $10M to fix dam upstream of ski resort

BRECKENRIDGE – U.S. emergency management officials have given Colorado a $10 million grant to fix a dam upstream of the ski resort town of Breckenridge that’s listed in unsatisfactory condit...

DATE: Feb 8, 2020 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Man gets life for fatal shooting at Denver-area bar

BRIGHTON – A man who shot an employee to death after a brawl at a suburban Denver bar has been sentenced to life in prison plus 100 years without parole. Gary Wideman was sentence...

DATE: Feb 7, 2020 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Teen pleads guilty to murder in Colorado school shooting

CASTLE ROCK – The younger of two students charged in a school shooting in suburban Denver that killed a classmate pleaded guilty Friday under an agreement that gives him a chance to be parol...

DATE: Feb 7, 2020 | CATEGORY: Regional News

New Mexico Senate endorses ‘red flag’ gun bill

SANTA FE – The New Mexico state Senate on Friday endorsed a “red flag” gun bill that has been prompted by concerns about a mass shooting last year in El Paso, Texas, and suicide prevention e...

DATE: Feb 7, 2020 | CATEGORY: Regional News

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

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