Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Law Enforcement

Rep. Gabe Evans Presses DHS Chief on Sanctuary Policies and Colorado Public Safety
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Rep. Gabe Evans Presses DHS Chief on Sanctuary Policies and Colorado Public Safety

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado WASHINGTON D.C. – Colorado’s 8th Congressional District Rep. Gabe Evans on Wednesday took an opportunity during House Homeland Security Committee hearings to question Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin over how his department handles issues of sanctuary cities, public safety, backlogs and constitutional protections during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. Evans’ questions came just days after he joined House Judiciary Committee Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio and GOP Rep. Tom McClintock in letters to Denver’s elected district attorney, chief of police, and sheriff demanding information on their offices’ compliance with local sanctuary policies that, according to Evans “prioritize criminal ...
Signature Gathering Intensifies As Colorado Ballot Battles Take Shape
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Signature Gathering Intensifies As Colorado Ballot Battles Take Shape

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER– A large-scale signature gathering effort is underway in Colorado as proponents rush to get numerous citizen-initiated ballot measures qualified for the November statewide election, with issues ranging from from a right to hunt and fish to capping the stat income tax rate. The conservative advocacy group Advance Colorado, for example, is hip-deep in the effort, with two measures already on the ballot and at least three others are in the signature gathering phase. Already on the ballot is “Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes,” a statutory change that reinstates certain penalties related to fentanyl that the Democrat-controlled legislature has weakened or removed over the years. A second measure, “Law Enforcement Reporting Requ...
Justice Department Targets Colorado Law Expanding U Visa Certifications
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Justice Department Targets Colorado Law Expanding U Visa Certifications

By: Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to challenge Colorado’s U-Visa law, arguing it conflicts with federal immigration rules by broadening who qualifies for law enforcement certifications used in visa applications. HB21-1060 was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis in 2021. The law was designed to create uniformity and fairness for immigrant crime survivors. “Colorado victims have been subjected to inconsistent policies across the state, unfairly preventing them from applying for a U-Visa,” Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network said in a statement upon the measure passing both chambers. Eric Maruyama, a Polis spokesperson, could not be reached for comment before this story published. Congress ...
Ranchers Turn Frustration Into Reform With New Anti Rustling Law
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Ranchers Turn Frustration Into Reform With New Anti Rustling Law

By: Michael Abeyta | CBS Colorado Colorado's most valuable single goods export is beef. That means ranching is a big part of our economy, but when an animal goes missing the process of reporting that info used to be a little outdated. Until recently. Two ranchers, Nicole and C.W. Mallery, changed the way missing animals are handled in the state. Nicole Mallery says she knows exactly how difficult ranching can be sometimes. She and her husband C.W. own Freedom Acres Ranch in eastern El Paso County. They raise all sorts of animals, but cattle are a big moneymaker for them. So, they hate to lose one of them, especially to theft. "Last year we had 15 cattle come up missing. This year already, we've had four cattle come up missing," said Mallery. "It becomes very traumatic....
Sheriffs and Prosecutors Push Back Against Democrat Governors’ Leftist Agendas
Just The News, Approved, National

Sheriffs and Prosecutors Push Back Against Democrat Governors’ Leftist Agendas

By Nicholas Ballasy | Just the News In Maryland and Virginia, disputes over immigration enforcement and firearms restrictions exposed widening tensions between Democratic state leaders and local law enforcement officials. wo Democrat governors trying to advance progressive policies on immigration and gun control are facing pushback from local law enforcement, with sheriffs and prosecutors in Maryland and Virginia openly resisting portions of the states’ new agendas. In Maryland, a majority of the state’s elected sheriffs filed a federal lawsuit challenging the newly enacted Community Trust Act, a law backed by Democrat Gov. Wes Moore that limited cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities.  The sheriffs argued t...
Douglas County Undocumented Child Predator Sentenced to 100 Years to Life After Conviction
DENVER7, Approved, State

Douglas County Undocumented Child Predator Sentenced to 100 Years to Life After Conviction

By: Óscar Contreras | Denver7 DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A convicted child predator who fled the state prior to a court hearing in March was sentenced to 100 years to life in prison Friday. Jorge Campos, 42, was sentenced in Douglas County Court to 20 years for each of the 5 counts of sexual assault on a child for which he was convicted. The sentence will run consecutively. Campos, an undocumented immigrant, repeatedly assaulted his girlfriend’s daughter from 2021 to 2023 at her home. The abuse began when the victim was just 11 years old, Douglas County prosecutors said. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7
Congress Demands Answers From Denver And Boulder Over Sanctuary Policies
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Congress Demands Answers From Denver And Boulder Over Sanctuary Policies

By Mike Krause | Complete Colorado DENVER–Members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, along with a member of the Colorado congressional delegation, are demanding information from local authorities in Denver and Boulder on sanctuary policies the lawmakers say help shield criminal illegal aliens from deportation. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) on Tuesday directed letters to Denver District Attorney John Walsh, Denver Sheriff Elias Diggins, and Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas. Jordan and McClintock also sent separate letters to Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty, Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson, and Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn. Evans...
Zero Tolerance Policy Targets Rising Lawlessness In Pike National Forest
Approved, Local, Pikes Peak Courier

Zero Tolerance Policy Targets Rising Lawlessness In Pike National Forest

By Pat Hill | Pikes Peak Courier A recent operation in Pike National Forest by Sheriff Jason Mikesell and his officers resulted in 100 contacts and issued 42 citations. At the same time, the officers put out campfires left unattended. “That was in one weekend,” Mikesell said. Speaking four days before holding a press conference, Mikesell offered a heads-up on the chaos on the forest. “We’ve seen over 300 side-by-sides; the people are from Denver, Aurora, Pueblo, Colorado Springs and out-of-state,” he said. “We’ve found that they are ruining wildlife areas, running off road and tearing up roads that are an access to wildlife.” The sheriff tells of an incident where drivers in a side-by side did multiple “360s” around a tent where a family was probably sleeping at 1:20 a.m. ...
Aurora Limits Police Communication Raising Questions Over Public Safety And Transparency
Approved, Local, The Denver Gazette

Aurora Limits Police Communication Raising Questions Over Public Safety And Transparency

By Kyla Pearce | The Denver Gazette Proponents argue arestees have a right to privacy until adjudicated An Aurora City Council decision to alter social media policies for the police department has raised concerns from press freedom and public safety advocates, who worry that limiting what police can release to the public will impact safety and limit media professionals’ ability to access crime information. City Council members and local activists who support the policy changes, however, say they are not intended to limit information sharing, but rather to protect due process and limit what they describe as “harmful editorializing” in police communications. The resolution, which passed Monday with four “no” votes from the city’s conservative lawmakers, would bar Aurora Police Depart...
Colorado Nonprofit Steps In As Immigrants Exit Aurora Detention Facility
Approved, Local, The Colorado Sun

Colorado Nonprofit Steps In As Immigrants Exit Aurora Detention Facility

By Jennifer Brown | Colorado Sun Casa de Paz gives people a warm meal, a suitcase, a phone charger and a way home, no matter how far that may be. Sitting on a couch in a one-story house near the immigration detention center in Aurora on a recent rainy weekday, J.R.V. began to retether himself to the life he was ripped from nearly five months ago. At his feet, tan work boots were in a plastic bag with his name written in Sharpie. He had last worn them on a Saturday morning in December when a sheriff’s deputy arrested him as he was driving to a construction site in Florida. They were a reminder of how quickly life changed. J.R.V., 40, spent about three days at the county jail followed by 12 at Alligator Alcatraz, the infamous, new immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades,...