Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Public safety

Poll Shows Coloradans Want the Center, But Democrats Focused on Progressive Agenda
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State, Uncategorized

Poll Shows Coloradans Want the Center, But Democrats Focused on Progressive Agenda

By Mark Hillman | Complete Colorado The Colorado General Assembly returns for its annual 120-day session on Jan. 14, evoking a four-month visceral cringe from Coloradans who dread the next round of legislative fiats certain to be imposed upon us. Coloradans are in a restless mood lately.  It’s no secret a majority of Colorado voters has little affection for President Trump, but they’re not exactly cheerleaders for Democrats either. A December poll by Keating Research, which often works with Democrat clients, found disapproval of the Colorado Democratic Party at 55% – only slightly better than the 58% disapproval of Colorado Republicans. A majority said Colorado is headed in the wrong direction and expressed little confidence in the state legislature, w...
Aurora Leaders Weigh Civilian Oversight as Police Accountability Debate Grows
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Aurora Leaders Weigh Civilian Oversight as Police Accountability Debate Grows

By Kyla Pearce | The Denver Gazette More than 50 people attended a listening session Tuesday evening in Aurora to talk about the possibility of creating a civilian oversight group for the Aurora Police Department. The session was led by new councilmembers Gianina Horton and Amy Wiles, who took questions from the audience to start about the costs and meaning of police oversight. Talk of creating an independent oversight group for the APD is not new. For more than a year, protesters have attended every Aurora City Council meeting to demand action from the council following the police shooting death of Kilyn Lewis, who was unarmed and wanted on an attempted murder warrant. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Adams County Expands Fight Against Human Trafficking With Specialized Detectives
kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Adams County Expands Fight Against Human Trafficking With Specialized Detectives

By Vicente Arenas | KDVR FOX31 COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (KDVR) — The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says it has a new tool go after human traffickers and help save victims. The sheriff’s office has launched a new Human Trafficking Unit inside its Detective Division. That division will target prostitution, exploitation and human trafficking across unincorporated Adams County. Sheriff officials said the unit will bring focused enforcement, victim advocacy and interagency collaboration to combat exploitation, which includes both adults and children. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT KDVR FOX31
This is the real insurrection
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

This is the real insurrection

By Mark Salley | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice What has happened to people in America? We have a contingent of people supporting and praising the law breakers.  Let’s call it what it is: insurrection. Just five years ago this month, the left branded patriotic protestors at the nation’s capital as “insurrectionists.”   None of the protestors there that day were obstructing justice. None of them were standing in the way of enforcing the nation’s laws. No one on that day was attacking law enforcement officers, pummeling them with bricks or frozen water bottles, or for that matter, ramming them with cars. And not a single one was charged with insurrection. Today officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement are attacked and harassed rele...
Aurora council immigration resolution sparks warnings from police chief, draws resident response
Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Aurora council immigration resolution sparks warnings from police chief, draws resident response

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Aurora City Council took up immigration enforcement Monday night and approved a resolution criticizing federal actions it described as unlawful and overreaching. The item arrived late on the agenda. It did not immediately change city policy. But it didn’t fade into the background, either. Council members pointed to several incidents they said shaped the decision. One involved the death of a Colorado woman during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Minnesota. Others cited included reported illness concerns at the GEO ICE detention facility in Aurora and a recent arrest involving a parent and child. In the resolution’s language, council members said both U.S. citizens and immigrants...
Colorado Prepares to Enforce Semiautomatic Gun Training Law
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Prepares to Enforce Semiautomatic Gun Training Law

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette Colorado Parks and Wildlife has scheduled a series of virtual and in-person stakeholder meetings beginning Feb. 9, 2026, to explain requirements for a new firearms safety program and gather input from dealers, instructors and sheriffs before the mandate takes effect August 1, 2026. The program, created under Senate Bill 25-003, requires anyone purchasing or transferring certain firearms to obtain a background check, complete an in-person safety course and obtain an eligibility card that must be shown to sign up for the mandatory training. The law applies only to future transactions and exempts existing owners. Upcoming meetings include virtual sessions for firearms dealers and instructors on Feb. 9, followed by an in-person Den...
Denver Advances Law Enforcement Mask Ban Despite Federal Conflict Concerns
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Advances Law Enforcement Mask Ban Despite Federal Conflict Concerns

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette A proposed ordinance prohibiting law enforcement officers from concealing their identities while interrogating, detaining, or arresting an individual in Denver moved forward to another yet-to-be-assigned City Council committee for further consideration. The proposal, presented to members of the city’s Budget and Policy Committee on Monday by Councilmembers Flor Alvidrez and Shontel Lewis, would also prevent law enforcement from wearing face coverings within a city facility. City officials argued the measure would address public safety fears and increase transparency, though others wondered about its implementation and effectiveness, while raising the specter of conflict between local police officers tasked to enforce the ban and ...
Summit County Sheriff Cuts 13 Positions After Commissioners Slash Budget
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Summit County Sheriff Cuts 13 Positions After Commissioners Slash Budget

By: Robert Garrison | Denver7 SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. — Summit County’s newly adopted 2026 budget has resulted in 13 Sheriff’s Office positions being eliminated, Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons announced Monday. FitzSimons emphasized, “No frontline detention, patrol, or supervisory positions were cut.” However, as of Friday following the final budget adoption for 2026, the following positions were eliminated to meet budgetary constraints: READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7
El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen Announces Run for Colorado Attorney General
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen Announces Run for Colorado Attorney General

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice District Attorney of El Paso County Michael J. Allen has declared his intention to run for attorney general in Colorado. Allen served in the Navy and is in his second term as district attorney for Colorado’s Fourth Judicial District. His announcement comes as the state grapples with rising auto theft, higher insurance costs, and continued overdose deaths.Allen framed the decision as a gradual one. Allen framed the decision as a gradual one. “It was a long time coming to make the decision,” Allen said. “I’ve had people reaching out to me really starting January of 2025 — both statewide, local folks, and then even national folks — trying to talk me into running.” For Allen, the question was not simp...
DEA Chief Says Cartels View Colorado as Safe Haven for Drug Trafficking
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

DEA Chief Says Cartels View Colorado as Safe Haven for Drug Trafficking

By The Denver Gazette | Colorado politics Colorado’s “sanctuary” laws, notably its prohibition against cooperating with federal authorities, are having a “chilling effect” on law enforcement’s ability to go after drug cartels operating in the state, an official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency said. That situation sits atop Colorado’s “pervasive drug culture stemming back to the marijuana initiation,” said David Olesky, the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Rocky Mountain Field Division. That “drug culture” is sustained by how Colorado and its political subdivisions treat criminality, he said, adding he is not making a “political” statement — just describing the challenges his agents face on the ground. Of particular worry...