Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Public safety

Joint Budget Committee approves $2.8M in supplemental funding to address prison overcrowding
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Joint Budget Committee approves $2.8M in supplemental funding to address prison overcrowding

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The General Assembly’s Joint Budget Committee has approved nearly $3 million in supplemental funding for the Colorado Department of Corrections to cover the cost of additional prison beds amid an ongoing crisis of prison overcrowding. Last month, DOC facilities reached a vacancy level of 3% for 30 consecutive days, prompting the governor to implement the Prison Population Management Measures established by a 2018 law. The measures include requiring the state’s parole board to compile a list of inmates with low-level offenses who are eligible for parole and can be released from DOC facilities to bring population numbers back down to more manageable levels. The issue of overcrowding in state prisons has been a growing concern f...
Man With Prior Ban Taken Into Custody After Firearm Incident at UNC
kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Man With Prior Ban Taken Into Custody After Firearm Incident at UNC

By Heather Willard | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — A man whom law enforcement issued a warning for earlier this month has been arrested after he was allegedly seen on video dancing and displaying a firearm inside a University of Northern Colorado dorm. On Tuesday, UNC police responded to an anonymous report of an individual unaffiliated with the campus at the Arlington Park Apartments residence. The report included a video that had been posted to social media showing the incident. Later, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office shared an alleged screenshot of the video, which appeared to show Debisa holding a long gun with a detachable magazine. It’s illegal to have firearms inside UNC residence halls, and while officers responded immediately, the suspect was not found at the location. ...
Douglas County outrage grows after judge hands out probation in violent crime case
DENVER7, Approved, State

Douglas County outrage grows after judge hands out probation in violent crime case

By: Allie Jennerjahn | Denver7 District Attorney for the 23rd Judicial District and stalking victim "outraged" over judge's decision to only sentence stalker to probation CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — A Douglas County judge is under fire for two separate probation decisions she’s made in just one week. District Attorney for the 23rd Judicial District George Brauchler told Denver7 he’s “outraged” by the ruling, but he never specifically said who the judge was. “I don’t think judges exist in this jurisdiction to do what the DA says. That doesn’t make sense. I don’t think that [ruling] protects defendants appropriately either,” Brauchler said. “My respect for the bench doesn’t mean that I like all of their decisions, and in this particular case, I think this one is too risky for the p...
Public Safety Survives Cuts as Denver Faces Budget Crunch
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Public Safety Survives Cuts as Denver Faces Budget Crunch

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Day two of the public hearings for Denver’s proposed 2026 spending plan got underway on Tuesday with presentations from the city’s public safety agencies. As representatives from the Denver Department of Safety, Denver Police, Denver Fire, Denver Sheriff and the Department of Public Health and Environment shared plans for helping the city tighten its belt, recurring themes included streamlining program functions, identifying new sources of revenue and shifting some positions out of the city’s general fund into alternate funding sources such as special revenue funds and grants. Overall, agencies sought to protect core services and align with council priorities. Here are some of the top takeaways for the day: Denver Public SafetyDirector...
Colorado’s Surge In Prison Population Signals Return To Law And Order
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Surge In Prison Population Signals Return To Law And Order

By The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Denver Gazette Let’s welcome news reported by The Gazette this week that Colorado’s prison population is on the rise, with more lawbreakers reportedly behind bars for parole violations. That’s encouraging in a state that has weathered an epic crime wave in recent years, often enough at the hands of parolees. The surge in our prison population reflects a renewed commitment by law enforcement — including parole officers, who police parolees and try to keep them on track — to prioritize public safety. Misguided, out-of-touch advocates of the “justice reform” movement already are wringing their hands over the thought of convicts out on parole being sent back to the slammer for what the justice reformers insist are mere “technical” viola...
Violence tied to transgender ideology grows harder to ignore
The Daily Signal, Approved, Commentary, National

Violence tied to transgender ideology grows harder to ignore

By Tyler O’Neil | Commentary, The Daily Signal An increasing number of alleged murderers, mass shooters, and violent offenders have apparently tried to silence Christians or critics of transgender ideology, acting on the assumption that those who disagree with transgender claims represent a violent threat. The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk only underscores this unnerving trend, and makes the case for the FBI to formally characterize the threat of transgender ideology violent extremism. The Oversight Project and The Heritage Foundation formally called on the FBI Thursday to use its authority under 18 U.S. Code § 2331 to designate this threat, and I wholeheartedly agree. The FBI declined to comment on the subject when approached Friday. That statute defines&...
Trained Armed Staff Could Be Key to School Safety
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Trained Armed Staff Could Be Key to School Safety

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Enough. Damn it, enough! Enough virtue signaling instead of preventing school shootings. Enough of elected school boards denying reality. It is time for all of Colorado’s 178 school districts to join the 50 that currently have volunteer, trained, concealed armed staff to stop a shooter the moment he begins — because when seconds count, the police are only minutes away The difference is wanting to feel safe versus wanting to be safe. By constantly making it harder and more expensive for law-abiding people (i.e. the good guys) to purchase, practice and legally carry firearms, our lawmakers think we will feel safer. Maybe some will even fall for it and feel safer. But none of it makes us any safer. Reality check Actually ...
Armed man with fake police credentials stopped at Charlie Kirk memorial site
Gateway Pundit, Approved, National

Armed man with fake police credentials stopped at Charlie Kirk memorial site

By Cassandra MacDonald | The Gateway Pundit Authorities detained a man at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday evening after he attempted to enter the venue while armed with a tactical knife, at least one firearm, and inactive law enforcement credentials. The stadium is scheduled to host the memorial service for assassinated conservative icon Charlie Kirk on Sunday morning. The massive memorial service is expected to draw over 100,000 attendees, including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other members of the cabinet. The suspect, whose identity has not been released at this time, reportedly claimed affiliation with law enforcement and exhibited suspicious behavior that prompted action from security personnel. “The individual is not a member ...
Lakewood police seeking tips from public to catch burglar targeting churches
Fox31, Approved, Local

Lakewood police seeking tips from public to catch burglar targeting churches

by: Jim Hooley | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Police are searching for a suspect who has burglarized several churches in Lakewood. The Lakewood Police Department has not identified all the churches hit, but has confirmed that the Mountair Christian Church on Benton Street was among them. In fact, police say that the church was hit not once,  but twice, in June. In both cases, the suspect got away with musical instruments and electronics. Police released a photo of the suspect taken from security cameras. In the photo, he appears to be white with dark hair. He’s sporting a beard and tattoos on his biceps on both arms, as well as his back. He’s wearing all black, with a black hat, shirt, pants and shoes. He also has what appears to be a silver chain around his neck with som...
State Leaders Put Criminal Rights Ahead of Public Safety
The Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

State Leaders Put Criminal Rights Ahead of Public Safety

By The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Gazette Only days ago, The Gazette editorial board weighed in on how easy it is for dangerous criminal suspects with lengthy records in Colorado to walk free — and never come back — as they supposedly await trial or other court proceedings. That includes when they are deemed “incompetent” to understand the charges against them — usually, due to presumed mental illness — and at times are released pending psychiatric assessment and treatment to restore their competency. Even under those circumstances, suspects can wind up going free for good, either because they fail to follow through on outpatient psychiatric care and disappear onto the streets, or, incredibly, they have been found permanently incompetent — and by state law, the char...