Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Public safety

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 ...
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 ...
Aurora Councilmember And Public Safety Chair Pleads Guilty To DUI
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Aurora Councilmember And Public Safety Chair Pleads Guilty To DUI

By Robert Garrison | Denver7 AURORA, Colo. — Aurora Councilmember Rob Andrews pleaded guilty Tuesday to DUI under a plea deal, avoiding jail time in his January arrest. After his plea, the newly elected councilmember was sentenced to 10 days of home detention, 12 months of probation and 48 hours of community service. Andrews was arrested on the evening of Jan. 18 on suspicion of DUI after an Aurora officer reported seeing his Ford F‑250 splitting lanes and making wide turns on S. Chambers Road, police said. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7
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...
Colorado Copper Theft Disrupts Transit And Emergency Communications
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Copper Theft Disrupts Transit And Emergency Communications

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette At the state Capitol, legislators have responded by passing a bill aimed at cracking down down on the sale of stolen metals used in critical infrastructure. While signing the legislation, Gov. Jared Polis said it would deter individuals from selling stolen metal. “Theft of any kind is unacceptable and this new law will help protect Colorado’s infrastructure. This will help keep our trains running, homes heated, and buildings safe. By signing this bill into law today, Colorado is cracking down on crime to prevent copper wire theft, and keep our communities safe,” Polis said in a statement. But others have expressed worries about people who legally collect scrap materials and who rely on the immediate cash from selling it to bu...
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...
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...