Durango Police Department has issued over 15,000 citations and more than double that many warnings since 2020, Police Chief Brice Current said last week.
He was discussing the city’s enforcement policies as guided by the police department’s ethos and approach to law enforcement, a response to a request from newcomer Councilors Shirley Gonzales and Kip Koso for more information about policing in Durango.
The councilors were interested in learning more about DPD’s enforcement strategy, given recent calls to increase enforcement of speeding and off-leash dogs on the Animas River Trail.
Current covered broad subjects such as values-based policing, discretion and training, small enforcement in a free society and responding – or not – to public pressure.
DPD has issued 15,508 citations and 31,393 verbal and written warnings since the start of 2020. Current noted the abundance of warnings and said DPD conducts law enforcement to protect, not to punish.
“Sometimes, the best enforcement is a respectful conversation,” he said.
Officers are trained that every ticket or citation issued should reflect a public safety risk. Tickets should be issued fairly, and officers must be able to articulate a goal to deter future behavior in the spirit of building, not eroding, trust.
“I learned a long time ago pulling over vehicles that if you feel like you’re writing a ticket and you feel stupid inside, it probably is,” he said. “For instance, pulling a vehicle over for a license plate light – it might be good to give a warning in that situation.”
He cited letting someone speeding in an uncongested area go with a warning, as long as the person doesn’t have a history of crashes, as another example of when a citation may not be necessary.
DPD also values public safety over quotas, he said, adding ticket quotas aren’t ethical and may be illegal. Tickets place a burden on families, not just individuals, where warnings can sometimes be just as effective at deterring behavior.
That changes when people are knowingly and blatantly breaking the law, he said.
“We’re seeing a lot of teenagers with their throttle e-bikes ripping through town, obviously a ticket may be the best answer, and maybe even seizing their bike and having a conversation with their parents,” he said.
The top 10 ticketed offenses in the past 4½ years include speeding at No. 1 with 2,250 citations; theft of services at No. 2 with 677 citations; and driving under the influence and like crimes of drugs or alcohol at No. 3 with 630 citations.
The full top 10 ticketed offenses are:
When it comes to dogs at large, a cause of concern to residents as of late, Current said the city contracts with La Plata County Animal Control to enforce animals at large statutes, although it has increased direct officer enforcement of off-leash dogs and reckless cyclists on the Animas River Trail and across the city.
DPD’s open space rangers take weekly patrols and issue warnings and citations, and the city has reassigned a police service technician to the new role of full-time open space ranger. The officer will complete training in a couple of weeks, he said.
Because of increased enforcement, DPD has observed increased compliance from trail users when it comes to leashing their dogs and riding safely. But, DPD is also grappling with type 3 ebike users speeding recklessly on the trail and elsewhere.
“We have a lot of these individuals running from us,” he said, adding it’s not a great idea to chase a 13-year-old through busy trails and streets.
Instead, DPD is relying on its camera trailer to identify culprits who can be ticketed at their homes, he said.
DPD increased enforcement on the Animas River Trail after calls from residents to do so. But, Current said, although the police department elevated that priority, individual officers are trained not to bend under public pressure.
When officers are criticized, their job is to find the balance, he said. Every police contact with the public is different, and officers are charged with weighing several factors when deciding if a warning or citation is necessary: the city’s strategic plan, mission and vision; officer oaths of office; prior warning history and aggravating factors; and a slew of other variables.
He said an officer recently issued a woman a citation for walking alongside her off-leash dog, which itself was old and walking slowly. He didn’t comment on whether the citation was warranted, but used that as an example of how officers should not allow public opinion to influence their discretion.
Current said no system can catch every infraction.
“In a free society, enforcement must be thoughtful, prioritized, recognizing the limited resources and the shared responsibility of the community,” he said.
