Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Public safety

Aurora Police Chief Praises ICE After Swift Arrest of Illegal Immigrant Murder Suspect
Local, Approved, The Sentinel

Aurora Police Chief Praises ICE After Swift Arrest of Illegal Immigrant Murder Suspect

By Staff | The Sentinel Colorado AURORA | Aurora’s police chief credited Aurora investigators as well as ICE and Homeland Security agents in quickly tracking down a Venezuelan immigrant accused of shooting his wife and her sister in front of five children early Sunday inside an Aurora apartment. Investigators on Monday said they found and arrested Michel Jordan Castellano-Fonseca, 30, late Sunday, who they say shot and killed his 26-year-old sister-in-law and critically injured his wife at about 3 a.m. at Aurora Meadows apartments in the 1000 block of Cimarron Circle. “The one thing that I really want to detail…is the foundation of the incident itself,” Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain told reporters at a press conference Monday “This was a tragic loss of life. This event occu...
Daniel: Colorado’s political ruling class has turned common sense upside down
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Daniel: Colorado’s political ruling class has turned common sense upside down

By Bobbie Daniel | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice There was a time when Colorado ran on common sense. We valued hard work, local control, and the idea that if you played by the rules, you’d get a fair shake. But somewhere along the way, the folks running this state traded those values for political theater and personal ambition. Today, agriculture, coal mining, oil and gas, small businesses, and law enforcement — the very things that help keep our state running — are treated like the enemy. The latest example proves just how upside‑down things have gotten: the Attorney General of Colorado is suing a Mesa County deputy… for doing his job. Now, I don’t know about you, but where I come from, you don’t punish the people who keep you safe. Yet here we are — living in a state wh...
Gaines: Is CDPHE’s harm reduction program normalizing meth and crack on the taxpayer’s dime?
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Gaines: Is CDPHE’s harm reduction program normalizing meth and crack on the taxpayer’s dime?

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project CDPHE's harm reduction via Colorado Health Network, Inc. The Colorado Politics article linked first below is about a meth flyer that was circulating in Denver and causing some heartburn. It's a flyer which offers tips on how to smoke not only meth but also crack cocaine. The flyer was produced and distributed by Access Point Denver.Quoting the article:"Operated by Colorado Health Network, Access Point Denver is a harm reduction program offering services such as drug checking, overdose prevention and sterile needle exchanges to reduce the transmission of diseases among drug users. In June, the Denver City Council unanimously approved a 24-month contract extension worth more than $3 million that funds Access Point Denver’...
Law Enforcement Under Fire for Upholding Federal Immigration Laws
State, Approved, denvergazette.com

Law Enforcement Under Fire for Upholding Federal Immigration Laws

By Luige del Puerto | The Denver Gazette Phil Weiser's suit targets Mesa County Deputy Alexander Zwinck for allegedly violating state laws that prohibit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The unpaid, weeks-long suspension of a deputy sheriff out of Mesa County for sharing information with federal agents has raised questions about how local authorities must navigate a state law that bars cooperation with immigration enforcers. More notably, it's unclear whether the impositions of the new law also mean limiting access by local officers to the more expansive federal databases — something the Mesa County deputy had cited as a major reason for cooperating with multiple agencies.  The law, expanded this year, expressly prohibits all Colorado state agencies an...
Shots Fired as ICE Operation Turns Violent in Colorado
Local, Approved, The Gazette

Shots Fired as ICE Operation Turns Violent in Colorado

By Nick Smith | The Gazette Two immigrants suspected to be in the country illegally are on the run after allegedly attempting to ram their vehicle into law enforcement officials during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation Thursday in the Black Forest area, according to an ICE spokesperson. An officer reportedly fired three shots into the vehicle, which fled the scene and was later found abandoned, the spokesperson said. No injuries were reported. A shelter-in-place order was issued in Black Forest around 10:30 a.m. Thursday for a quarter-mile radius in the 9900 block of Burgess Road between Windmill and Greentree roads, according to Peak Alerts and the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. "Secure your home/business and stay away from doors and windows. Shelter...
State Targets Law Enforcement for Cooperating with Federal Immigration Agents
Fox News, Approved, State

State Targets Law Enforcement for Cooperating with Federal Immigration Agents

By Landon Mion | Fox News Mesa County deputies Alexander Zwinck and Erik Olson were placed on unpaid leave after sharing information with ICE following traffic stops. Two Colorado deputies have been disciplined for sharing information with federal immigration agents, which is a violation of state law enacted a few months ago. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser sued Mesa County Sheriff's Deputy Alexander Zwinck last week after his cooperation with federal immigration agents on a drug task force was exposed during a Brazilian college student's arrest for an expired visa, according to The Associated Press. While addressing the incident on Thursday, Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell said Caroline Dias-Goncalves, a 19-year-old nursing student, was pulled over by Zwinck for a traffi...
Daniel: The state’s mandates, your money—and why counties are saying “Enough”
Top Stories, Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Daniel: The state’s mandates, your money—and why counties are saying “Enough”

By Bobbie Daniel | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Imagine walking into a restaurant, and before you even look at the menu, someone else orders for the whole table. They choose the most expensive items, add dessert, and go for top-shelf drinks—and when the check comes, they quietly slide it over to you.  That, in a nutshell, is what the State of Colorado is doing to counties.  Every year, new laws and regulations roll out of the Capitol with noble names and lofty goals. But when it comes time to pay for them, the state shrugs and walks away—leaving counties, and local taxpayers, to foot the bill. It’s called an unfunded mandate, and it’s become one of the biggest threats to responsible government in Colorado.  In Mesa County, we’ve always believed in balan...
Eleven stabbed at Michigan Walmart before two Marine veterans end the violence
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, National, Top Stories

Eleven stabbed at Michigan Walmart before two Marine veterans end the violence

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice What started as a typical Saturday, July 26, at a northern Michigan Walmart in Traverse City ended in chaos, bloodshed, and unexpected heroism. Eleven shoppers were stabbed — several critically — before police could arrive. Deputies say two former Marines stepped in just in time, stopping the chaos before it turned deadly. The suspect—42-year-old Bradford Gille from Sheboygan County, Wisconsin—is behind bars. Formal charges are expected soon, including one that may fall under the state’s terrorism statute. What witnesses say happened during the stabbing It was just before 4:45 p.m. when Gille began attacking customers near the checkout lanes inside the Walmart off US-31. Witnesses say he moved fast and struck randoml...
Coloradans rally after school abduction case tossed under new ‘incompetence’ law—demanding legislative change
DENVER7, Approved, State

Coloradans rally after school abduction case tossed under new ‘incompetence’ law—demanding legislative change

By Natalie Chuck , Joe Vaccarelli | Denver7 Legislation passed last year states that a judge must dismiss charges if a suspect is found incompetent to stand trial and not restorable ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — A state lawmaker, elected officials and community members called for legislative action on Wednesday, stating that a state law requiring courts to drop charges against individuals found to be incompetent needs to be revised. This comes after news that a suspect accused of attempting to kidnap children at an Aurora elementary school last year will have the case dropped sparked outrage and received national attention. "When we're looking at this law, it needs to be reconsidered,” said Susan Payne, founder and former executive director of Safe2Tell. Solomon Galliga...
More Than 200 Dangerous Illegal Immigrants Captured in Denver ICE Raid
Local, Approved, kdvr.com

More Than 200 Dangerous Illegal Immigrants Captured in Denver ICE Raid

By Heather Willard | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced Wednesday that 243 people were arrested in the Denver metro area who the agency says are “currently charged with or have been convicted of criminal offenses after illegally entering the United States.”  The operation was conducted from July 12 through 20, and ICE provided the following reasons for the arrests: DUI: 17 Theft (including burglary, robbery and motor vehicle theft): 8 Assault (including aggravated assault and domestic violence): 13 Drug offenses (including distribution of fentanyl): 9 Sex offenses (including sex assault and sexual exploitation of a minor): 5 Homicide (including murder and vehicular manslaughter): 2 Human trafficking: 1 ...