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Tag: Crime & Safety

Homicide investigation underway at UCCS campus Friday
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Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, El Paso County, Local

Homicide investigation underway at UCCS campus Friday

By Abbey Soukup | Colorado Springs Gazette A homicide investigation is underway at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus following reports of shots fired early Friday morning, according to Colorado Springs police.  Sgt. Ward with the department's Stetson Hills division said a call of shots fired came in at roughly 6:11 a.m. Friday. As of 7:11 a.m., the department's homicide unit was making its way to the scene.  🚨Happening now🚨CSPD is on scene on a death investigation. This is not an active shooter situation. A partial shelter in place is still in effect for the UCCS Campus as the investigation continues. The campus will be closed for the remainder of the day. https://t.co/zwmiGxYC4T— Colorado Springs Police Department (@CSPDPIO) February 16, 2024 READ ...
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Mesa County jail population at lowest level since 2016
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Approved, Grand Junction Sentinel, Local, Western Slope

Mesa County jail population at lowest level since 2016

By SAM KLOMHAUS | Grand Junction Sentinel Daniel Harmon knew he had to get help when he woke up in the Mesa County Detention Center’s booking area not knowing how he got there. ”I passed out one time, and I ended up getting arrested. It was the blacking out until I came in the jail, not knowing exactly how long I had been laying in booking, and then I woke up and I was like ‘wow, this is something I need to change,’ “ Harmon said. Harmon, a 39-year-old inmate, participates in a substance abuse program under the jail’s behavioral and mental health services program. ”My main problem was drugs and alcohol,” Harmon said. “I used quite often and I never really truly asked for help, and when I did, one of the first things that was offered was the JBBS (Jail Based Behavioral Health Se...
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Aurora committee sends forward shoplifting bill, lowering threshhold to $100
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Approved, Denver Metro, Local, The Sentinel

Aurora committee sends forward shoplifting bill, lowering threshhold to $100

By Max Levy | The Sentinel Shoplifters who steal merchandise worth $100 or more from Aurora stores would be automatically jailed under a proposal moved forward Thursday by the Aurora City Council’s public safety policy committee. Currently, retail thieves who steal $300 or more in goods trigger the automatic three-day jail sentence included in the mandatory minimum sentencing law that the council passed in 2022. The proposal sponsored by Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky would lower that threshold to $100. It would also impose special penalties for repeat offenders — a 90-day minimum jail sentence for anyone convicted of one prior retail theft offense and a 180-day minimum sentence for people who have been convicted at least twice. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE AURORA SENTINEL...
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Every household required to own a gun in small southwestern Colorado town
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Approved, Local, The Washington Post, Western Slope

Every household required to own a gun in small southwestern Colorado town

By Lauren Loftus | Washington Post NUCLA, Colo. — Driving north on U.S. 141 in southwestern Colorado, the road descends from red rock plateau into a wind-blown expanse of bedraggled shrubs and hardy desert trees called Paradox Valley. Passing only the occasional deer, the two-lane highway eventually ends at the intersection of the Dolores River. Just beyond its muddy bank lies the tiny town of Nucla. The area’s once booming uranium mine has long been shuttered, while the halls of Nucla High School echo with the sounds of only a few dozen students. Main Street is dotted with boarded-up buildings and deserted after sunset. With a poverty rate of nearly 20 percent, it’s clear Nucla is in need of jobs, an economic boon that remains out of reach. But there is at least one thi...
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Missing 15-year-old girl from California vanishes in Denver airport layover
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Approved, Denver Metro, denvergazette.com, Local

Missing 15-year-old girl from California vanishes in Denver airport layover

Harper Cadman was last seen Jan. 30 and is believed to be in the Denver or Boulder area By Daniel Boniface | Denver Gazette A 15-year-old girl who stopped for a layover in Denver last month has gone missing and authorities are seeking the public's help in finding her. Harper Cadman landed at Denver International Airport on Jan. 30, but never boarded her flight back home to California, according to a news release from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The teen girl is believed to be in the Denver or Boulder area, officials said. Harper is about 5-foot, 7-inches tall and weighs about 115 pounds. She has blue eyes, her hair is dyed black, she has braces on her teeth, a nose piercing and tattoos on her waist and the middle finger of her left hand. READ T...
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In Rifle, police officer initiates city discussion of obscured license plates, ‘huge problem’ of inoperable vehicles
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Western Slope

In Rifle, police officer initiates city discussion of obscured license plates, ‘huge problem’ of inoperable vehicles

An inquiry by Rifle police officer Kallie McCain to the municipal court led Wednesday to a full discussion on the appearance of license plates and vehicles by the City Council. At issue is obscured plates and the process by which police officers face additional workload writing citations to both municipal and county courts for the violation. The state’s statute on the display of license plates was not included in Rifle’s Model Traffic Code – a statute at least one member of City Council finds to be vague. By adding the language of the state statute to the local code, officers could write the ticket and potentially others into one court, said Municipal Court Clerk Kathy Pototsky, avoiding the need to appear in separate courts. It would be a $25 citation. “Most officers would write ...
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Colorado House unanimously supports bill recognizing emergency phone operators as first responders
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Approved, State, thelobby-co.com

Colorado House unanimously supports bill recognizing emergency phone operators as first responders

By The Lobby In a rare display of unity, a bill at the Colorado Capitol received the approval of every representative present on Monday. The measure, which seeks to recognize emergency phone operators as first responders, is now headed to the Senate for further consideration and approval. These unsung heroes are often the first people you speak to in times of crisis, yet they have not been classified as first responders. Lawmakers at the Capitol have come to a bipartisan agreement that it is time to rectify this oversight and give credit where credit is due. PRIME SPONSORS Rep. Sheila Lieder Rep. Ryan Armagost Sen. Chris Kolker Sen. Kevin Van Winkle 9-1-1 dispatchers work tirelessly around the clock to ensure that people across the state receive the help they need...
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Rep. Boebert earns temporary restraining order against her ex-husband, Jayson
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Rep. Boebert earns temporary restraining order against her ex-husband, Jayson

The order applies to the Republican congresswoman and the couple’s three minor children. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday to make the order permanent. By Sandra Fish | The Colorado Sun U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert asked for and received a temporary restraining order Friday against her ex-husband, Jayson Boebert. The order also covers three of the former couple’s four sons.  In requesting the order, the Republican congresswoman filled out a checklist alleging incidents ranging from name calling and harassing phone calls to “abusing children in household” between 2022 and Friday. The most recent incident alleged in the chart was Friday, when the congresswoman claimed there was an instance of “threat by damage to property.” Lauren Boebert indicated on the form that police w...
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Denver police arrest 13-year-old accused of killing bus passenger for blocking aisle
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Approved, Denver Metro, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver police arrest 13-year-old accused of killing bus passenger for blocking aisle

By Daniel Boniface | Denver Gazette A 13-year-old boy was arrested after Denver police alleged he fatally shot a 60-year-old man after an argument on a bus on Saturday. The Denver Police Department said the verbal exchange appears to have started because the victim's leg was blocking the aisle on the bus. The verbal exchange escalated and the boy shot the victim, police said. Denver police officers responded to the bus, which was located at South Federal Boulevard and West Mississippi Avenue, around 6:41 p.m. When officers got there, they found the 60-year-old man who had been shot. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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1,000 criminal cases may have relied on faulty DNA Testing at Colorado Crime Lab
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

1,000 criminal cases may have relied on faulty DNA Testing at Colorado Crime Lab

Colorado’s Joint Budget Committee in January approved a $7.5 million to deal with the fallout of an ongoing probe into a former CBI forensic scientist By Brian Eason | THE COLORADO SUN Colorado district attorneys worry that over 1,000 criminal convictions may have relied on dubious evidence due to “anomalies” discovered in DNA testing by a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist. The Joint Budget Committee last month approved a $7.5 million addition to this year’s state budget to deal with the immediate fallout. And the taxpayer costs are likely to grow, budget documents show. “That’s extremely concerning, and clearly quite a liability for the state,” said Rep. Emily Sirota, D-Denver, a JBC member. Department officials told the JBC the money would onl...
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