Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Law Enforcement

Colorado’s bike theft crisis: Third-highest rate in the nation
kdvr.com, Approved, State

Colorado’s bike theft crisis: Third-highest rate in the nation

By Spencer Kristinsson | FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado residents are known for their love of the outdoors and active lifestyle. It should come as no surprise to see plenty of cyclists and bikes on the streets and trails around the state. What might be a surprise is how many of those bikes get stolen. A study by the cyclist training app, JOIN, analyzed the number of stolen bikes per state in the FBI database and the estimated value of the bikes stolen, which was converted into categories like median value, total value and average value. “A stolen bike is more than just a stolen asset — it’s the loss of the ability to cycle, to commute, and to train. The impacts can last for years due to the cost of replacing a stolen bike,” said JOIN in the study. The study found that C...
Adams County man handed 13-year sentence for large-scale drug trafficking
Fox31, Approved, Local

Adams County man handed 13-year sentence for large-scale drug trafficking

By: FOX31 Digital Staff | FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — A man was sentenced to 20 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections by the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for “large-scale” drug trafficking in Adams County, the DA’s Office announced in a press release on Monday morning. The man, Rodrick Maye, 45, was sentenced for possessing with intent to distribute large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamines and cocaine. On May 25, 2024, Thornton police officers saw Maye swerve into oncoming traffic on East 88th Avenue. The officers performed a traffic stop, and said Maye showed signs of impairment and failed roadside sobriety tests, before being arrested for driving under the influence. During a search of the vehicle, officers found multiple open containers of alcohol an...
Colorado gun laws leave innocent citizens defenseless
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado gun laws leave innocent citizens defenseless

By James Neville | Complete Colorado became a firearms instructor not because I’m a gun nut, but from my love for teaching self-defense. Teaching assault survivors martial arts for years provides the opportunity to learn about the nature of violent crime. It’s clear that the Colorado’s approach to public safety isn’t just naïve, it’s dangerous: policy makers are increasingly putting Coloradans at risk. The recent flurry of gun control measures has made Colorado one of the most restrictive states for firearm ownership in America. Senate Bill 25-003 for example, imposes a three-stage process on every Coloradan who may need to purchase a semiautomatic pistol for self-defense. There is no cap on fees and there is no time frame within which an application must be approved or denied....
ICE stops trafficking ring run by illegal aliens, saves 10 children
The Daily Signal, Approved, National

ICE stops trafficking ring run by illegal aliens, saves 10 children

By Virginia Allen | The Daily Signal Immigration enforcement authorities rescued 27 human-trafficking victims in Nebraska last week. Among the victims Immigration and Customs Enforcement rescued were 10 children under the age of 12, according to the Department of Homeland Security.   “Our brave ICE law enforcement rescued these children and women, who were being sexually exploited and trafficked,” said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant DHS secretary.   The human-trafficking ring was being run by illegal aliens, according to the DHS.   President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem “will not allow children and women to be victims of these heinous human-trafficking rings,” McLaughlin said. “Our message to human traffickers is cle...
Colorado’s largest TdA gang bust exposes murder-for-hire and international drug pipeline
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Colorado’s largest TdA gang bust exposes murder-for-hire and international drug pipeline

By Joe Vaccarelli, Landon Haaf | Denver7 The massive investigation included roughly 40 undercover operations over 10 months and also unearthed a "barbaric" murder-for-hire plot. DENVER — What was described as “the biggest investigation” of the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua in the country unfolded in Colorado over the past 10 months, federal officials announced on Monday, netting 30 indictments of people allegedly involved in drug and weapons trafficking and a “barbaric” murder-for-hire plot. U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly said Monday that investigators estimated three TdA leaders, five alleged members and “numerous” associates of the gang were charged in the operation. The investigation started in October of 2024 when the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office started looking i...
Roblox isn’t a game when safety is on the line
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Roblox isn’t a game when safety is on the line

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice This week, two very different voices sounded the same alarm about Roblox. YouTuber Schlep says the platform banned him after he worked with law enforcement to help catch child predators. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is suing Roblox, calling it a “clear and present danger” to kids. Both are pointing to the same problem: a platform packed with children and not enough safeguards to protect them. Schlep claims his tips led to multiple arrests. Instead of a thank you, he says the company sent him a legal notice and locked him out. In a social media post, he calls himself “a survivor on a mission” and says the ban was “retaliation for exposing predators.” The screenshots he shared show Roblox accusing him of breaking the rules...
Mexico delivers cartel fugitives to US justice in major hand off
AP News, Approved, National

Mexico delivers cartel fugitives to US justice in major hand off

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER AND MARIA VERZA | AP WASHINGTON (AP) — Mexico sent 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the United States Tuesday in the latest major deal with the Trump administration as American authorities ratchet up pressure on criminal networks smuggling drugs across the border. Those handed over to U.S. custody include Abigael González Valencia, a leader of “Los Cuinis,” a group closely aligned with notorious cartel Jalisco New Generation or CJNG. Another defendant, Roberto Salazar, is wanted in connection to the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy. Other prominent figures have ties to the Sinaloa Cartel and other violent drug trafficking groups. The transfers are a milestone for the Trump administration, which is made dismantling dangerous drug cart...
DHS: Venezuelan gang member charged in Aurora killing entered U.S. illegally in 2023
Border Hawk, Approved, Local

DHS: Venezuelan gang member charged in Aurora killing entered U.S. illegally in 2023

By BorderHawkNews | BorderHawkNews An illegal alien with ties to Tren de Aragua who was released into the U.S. by the Biden regime has been charged with shooting his own wife and killing his sister-in-law in Colorado this week, according to authorities. The horrifying incident unfolded at around 3 a.m. on Sunday morning in Aurora, a Denver suburb flooded with Venezuelan gangbangers in recent years. Investigators believe Michel Jordan Castellano Fonseca, 30, became embroiled in a violent domestic dispute at an apartment before threatening to return with a firearm. Castellano Fonseca later forced his way back into the residence and shot two women believed to be his 30-year-old wife and her 26-year-old sister-in-law, the Aurora Police Department says. Five childr...
Wheat Ridge turns to AI so officers spend less time on paperwork
Fox31, Approved, Local

Wheat Ridge turns to AI so officers spend less time on paperwork

By Nicole Fierro | KDVR FOX 31 WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. (KDVR) — Artificial intelligence is being used more and more in everyday life. Now, the Wheat Ridge Police Department is joining several metro area police departments in using AI technology to cut down time spent on writing out reports. Draft One is a new software tool for Wheat Ridge officers. It takes their body camera footage and data to transcribe what is heard and seen in a matter of seconds. Officers can then review and add to or change the paragraphs in a report. “It is just a great stepping stone for each of our individual officers to build off of,” Wheat Ridge Police Public Information Officer Alex Rose said. “In effect, we’re swapping out writing time, writing everything from scratch and from memory, to editing time ...
Garbo: The Dangerous Hubris of Deputizing Non-Citizens to Police Americans
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Garbo: The Dangerous Hubris of Deputizing Non-Citizens to Police Americans

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Why Sovereignty, Legitimacy, and Trust Demand Citizenship in Law Enforcement Since 2016, various jurisdictions in Colorado began allowing non-citizens - specifically lawful permanent residents and in some cases, DACA recipients - to serve as police officers.  This is not a progressive step forward, but rather, it is a profound public policy misstep. It is the height of hubris to assume that someone who is not a full citizen of this country should be vested with the authority to police those who are. Law enforcement is not merely a career track or a staffing challenge. It is a solemn extension of state power, a delegation of the people's sovereignty. In the American system of self-governance, that sovereignty lies exclusi...