Regional News - The Durango Herald

Albuquerque police make 1st DWI arrest of e-scooter driver

ALBUQUERQUE – Albuquerque police say a Belen woman’s arrest on suspicion of DWI while driving an electric scooter is the first such arrest since the city allowed the vehicles on local street...

DATE: May 31, 2019 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Colorado governor signs conversion therapy ban

DENVER – Psychotherapy that seeks to change minors’ sexual orientation or gender identity is now illegal in Colorado. Gov. Jared Polis signed the ban into law on Friday during a C...

DATE: May 31, 2019 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Colorado city 7th in nation to run solely on renewable power

GLENWOOD SPRINGS – A Colorado city is set to become the nation’s seventh municipality powered entirely by renewable energy sources. The Post Independent reported that the mayor of...

DATE: May 31, 2019 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Man sentenced for Colorado bank robberies

GOLDEN â€“ A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to six years in prison for robbing five banks in Colorado last February of a total of over $18,000. Brandon W. York was sentenced W...

DATE: May 31, 2019 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Trump speaks at Air Force Academy commencement

COLORADO SPRINGS – President Donald Trump told newly minted Air Force officers Thursday that “to dominate the future, America must rule the skies.” Speaking at the U.S. Air Force ...

DATE: May 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Colorado officials kill bear suspected of biting hiker’s leg

ASPEN – A bear suspected of biting a Colorado hiker has been tracked and killed by wildlife officials. The Aspen Times reports that Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials follow...

DATE: May 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Body of missing Colorado woman found in Malibu

MALIBU, Calif. – Authorities have found the body of a Colorado woman who went missing in Malibu a week ago. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says divers on Thursday rec...

DATE: May 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Desert procession marks death of Navajo code talker

SANTA FE – The state Capitol echoed with tributes to the life and times of Navajo Code Talker and state legislator John Pinto on Wednesday after his casket traveled in a memorial procession ...

DATE: May 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Pueblo officials urge water safety after man’s death

PUEBLO – Pueblo emergency officials are warning of the dangers of the area’s waterways after an 18-year-old man was found dead in a canal this week. The Pueblo Chieftain report...

DATE: May 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Body believed to be missing Utah girl is found

SALT LAKE CITY – A body believed to be a missing 5-year-old Utah girl was found Wednesday less than a block from her home, bringing a wide-ranging search to a grim close five days after the ...

DATE: May 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Crews working to reopen Independence Pass, Mount Evans

DENVER – Crews are working to reopen some of Colorado’s high-altitude roads for the summer after more snow fell this week. The Colorado Department of Transportation plans to have ...

DATE: May 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: Regional News

U.S. Supreme Court denies review of Arizona child welfare case

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The U.S. Supreme Court has denied review of an Arizona case challenging a law that gives preference to Native Americans in adoptions of Native American children. ...

DATE: May 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: Regional News

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

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