Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Law Enforcement

Nonprofit Builds Real Time Network To Monitor ICE In Western Colorado
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Nonprofit Builds Real Time Network To Monitor ICE In Western Colorado

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun Voces Unidas de las Montañas began as a political organization for Latinos. It pivoted when the federal immigration crackdown came to Colorado. CONFIRMADO. The Facebook post in Spanish is a community alarm for Colorado mountain towns along Interstate 70, a warning to stay alert because ICE is in action. Confirmed, it translates, a person was taken by ICE agents as he left the Mesa County Courthouse in Grand Junction at 10 a.m. May 1. Three days earlier: CONFIRMADO, a person with legal immigration status was taken by ICE agents from the parking lot of an apartment complex in Grand Junction.  And a few days before that: CONFIRMADO, federal immigration agents took a man from the Garfield County Jail in Glenwood Springs.  The warnings from Voc...
Federal Lawmakers Question Colorado Sanctuary Policies In New Investigation
Approved, Colorado Politics, State

Federal Lawmakers Question Colorado Sanctuary Policies In New Investigation

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A congressional panel is reviewing Denver and Boulder’s policies, alleging that these cities, along with other “sanctuary” jurisdictions, are declining to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, the body announced Wednesday. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who chairs the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, issued letters to the district attorneys, sheriffs and police chiefs of Denver and Boulder, accusing the local officials of prioritizing “illegal and criminal aliens over American citizens,” undermining public safety and hindering “the efficient enforcement of federal law.” Rep. Tom McClintock, R-California, chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Environment, also signed the letters. Rep. Gabe Evans, the Republic...
Appeals Court Sides With Boulder On Homeless Camping Restrictions
Hoodline, Approved, Local

Appeals Court Sides With Boulder On Homeless Camping Restrictions

By Leah Fraser | Hoodline Boulder can keep ticketing and jailing people for sleeping outside, at least for now. A Colorado Court of Appeals panel on Thursday upheld the city's ban on camping and sleeping on public property, turning aside a constitutional challenge that said the rules amount to cruel and unusual punishment under state law. The three-judge panel ruled that the ordinances target conduct - pitching a tent, sleeping with a blanket or otherwise sheltering outdoors - not the status of being unhoused, leaving the city's tent and blanket bans in place while advocates decide whether to take the fight to a higher court. The opinion, issued May 14, 2026, was written by Judge W. Eric Kuhn, who concluded that, "no matter how sympathetic their plight, these circumstances al...
Colorado Regulators Privately Warn Illegal Hemp Flooding Marijuana Market
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Regulators Privately Warn Illegal Hemp Flooding Marijuana Market

By Chris Osher | The Denver Gazette One regulator said the extent of the suspicious transactions would ‘explode your minds.’ This article was produced in partnership with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. A top regulator for Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division acknowledged in a private meeting with industry representatives that the amount of chemically converted hemp being illegally sold as marijuana is far greater than the agency has publicly disclosed. The remarks confirmed testing by The Denver Gazette and ProPublica, which found signs of hemp in marijuana vapes sold at dispensaries, as well as reporting that regulators have discovered that some hemp-derived vapes were contaminated with a toxic chemical. The virtual meet...
Dillon Vakoff died protecting a family. His mother and his fellow officer won’t let Colorado forget why.
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Dillon Vakoff died protecting a family. His mother and his fellow officer won’t let Colorado forget why.

By Gabe Evans and Lisa Vakoff | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In 2025, 115 police officers in the United States paid the ultimate price. Officers who survive their careers carry lifelong scars and health complications. The average American experiences their first heart attack at the average age of 65. Police officers get their first heart attack at age 46. Stress, lack of sleep, and violent criminals are just a few of the hazards that cops face every day.  To honor their service, in 1962, Congress and President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week during which it occurs as Police Week. It is a time to honor the brave men and women in law enforcement who put on the badge and willingly step into danger to protect our c...
Boulder Firebomber Gets Life Plus 2,128 Years For Terror Attack On Pro Israel Demonstrators
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Boulder Firebomber Gets Life Plus 2,128 Years For Terror Attack On Pro Israel Demonstrators

By Matt Kyle | The Denver Gazette A man accused of throwing two Molotov cocktails into a crowd of pro-Israel protesters in Boulder pleaded guilty Thursday to 101 state charges in a Boulder County courthouse and received just shy of the maximum sentence allowed by law. Following a lengthy sentencing hearing and personal statement from Mohamed Sabry Soliman, District Judge Nancy Salomone sentenced him to the maximum sentence on almost every count, which must be served consecutively. He was sentenced to life in prison, plus an additional 2,128 years. Soliman, 46, was arrested shortly after the June 1, 2025 attack at the Pearl Street Mall. Soliman, who plotted the attack for more than a year, threw two Molotov cocktails into a group of people calling for the release of hos...
Colorado Democrats Face Backlash Over Reduced Sentences for Violent Crimes
TownHall.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado Democrats Face Backlash Over Reduced Sentences for Violent Crimes

By Amy Curtis | Commentary, Townhall Earlier, we told you that four Colorado Democrats killed a bill that would have barred probation for some child sex crimes, and now it turns out the Democrats just passed legislation that downgraded sentencing for murders under certain circumstances. This means that the possibility of a life sentence for murdering one person is no longer an option. https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2051779051790962919?s=20 Insane. https://twitter.com/tadgh_dc/status/2051982051885105452?s=20 That'll solve the problem. https://twitter.com/AmericanBear76/status/2051858794162872381?s=20 READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT TOWNHALL Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are thos...
Colorado Lawmakers Advance Broad Security Plan Following Nationwide Political Attacks
The Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Advance Broad Security Plan Following Nationwide Political Attacks

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Gazette Colorado legislators unveiled a 60‑page bill that would dramatically expand protections for elected officials, staff, and judicial employees, responding to a string of high‑profile attacks nationwide and growing safety concerns inside the state’s courthouses and Capitol. Introduced earlier this week, House Bill 1422 contains nearly 30 sections. Among those provisions is the establishment of an Administrator of Legislative Safety, a law enforcement officer who would serve as a point of contact for members and employees of the General Assembly to discuss matters of personal safety and work alongside the Colorado State Patrol. Because the bill was introduced without a fiscal note, its potential cost to the state remains unknown...
Colorado Democrats Advance New Oversight Rules For ICE Facilities
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Advance New Oversight Rules For ICE Facilities

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette Colorado state representatives voted along party lines to pass a bill establishing additional inspection requirements for immigration detention centers and expanding civil liabilities related to sharing information with federal immigration authorities. It’s the latest proposal to come out of the state Capitol, which has embraced so-called “sanctuary laws,” which limit or prohibit cooperation with federal authorities on enforcing immigration laws. Notably, House Bill 1276 permits the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to require ICE detention facilities to comply with certain health and safety standards and pay for environmental impact studies. It expands a current law prohibiting employees of ...
If the state can take property without a conviction, no property is safe
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

If the state can take property without a conviction, no property is safe

By Rep. Ken DeGraaf | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Civil asset forfeiture began as a narrow exception in colonial maritime law, not as a general tool of domestic policing. In those early admiralty cases, the government often had jurisdiction over the ship or cargo, but not over the owner. The vessel might be in port, but the owner could be overseas, unknown, or beyond the reach of the court. In that circumstance, proceeding against the property itself—an action in rem—was often the only practical way to enforce customs law.  Justice Neil Gorsuch recently highlighted this history in his concurrence in Culley v. Marshall and asked the obvious question: if the government today has full jurisdiction over the person—if it can arrest, charge, and prosecute them directly—...