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Tag: Public safety

Released, rearrested and now accused again: Roybal-Smith case ignites parole reform debate
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Top Stories, Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Released, rearrested and now accused again: Roybal-Smith case ignites parole reform debate

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Denver Police arrested 38-year-old Ricky Lee Roybal-Smith early Monday morning, July 1, following the death of his cellmate at the Downtown Denver Detention Center. The alleged homicide came just hours after Roybal-Smith was jailed on unrelated charges—less than a day after two Aurora stabbings. Roybal-Smith’s criminal history spans nearly two decades and includes convictions for assault, felony menacing, DUI-related vehicular assault, and obtaining controlled substances by fraud. He’s also faced repeated parole violations and multiple arrests involving weapons. Despite this record, he was granted early release in 2023. Denver Police said deputies found an unresponsive man in a shared jail cell around 2:15 a.m. Monday. Off...
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Givas: CNN Puts ICE in the Crosshairs: ‘Sickening and Dangerous’ Says Enforcement Director
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National, Approved, The Western Journal

Givas: CNN Puts ICE in the Crosshairs: ‘Sickening and Dangerous’ Says Enforcement Director

By Nick Givas | The Western Journal Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd M. Lyons slammed CNN Monday, accusing the network of putting his officers in danger by publicizing an app that allows users to track their location. “CNN’s promotion of an ‘ICE spotting’ app is reckless and irresponsible,” Lyons said in a statement on ICE’s website. “Advertising an app that basically paints a target on federal law enforcement officers’ backs is sickening. My officers and agents are already facing a 500% increase in assaults, and going on live television to announce an app that lets anyone zero in on their locations is like inviting violence against them with a national megaphone.” He added, “CNN is willfully endangering the lives of officers who put their lives on the l...
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Grand Junction officials question costs and business revenue loss from bike lane project
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The Business Times, Approved, Local

Grand Junction officials question costs and business revenue loss from bike lane project

By Brandon Leuallen | The Business Times Plans to finalize protected bike lanes on Fourth and Fifth Streets this summer could cost the City of Grand Junction additional money in curb cut work and remove more downtown parking spaces. That raises a broader conversation about the cost of implementation and the city’s downtown parking system, including the financial viability of potential changes. Curb Cuts and Parking Losses The vote to revert to two lanes with a protected bike lane may require cutting curbs at intersections where there is currently not enough space to fit both vehicle lanes and the bike lane. This cost was not included in the May 29 special meeting when the City Council reversed a prior decision to end the pilot project. Councilmember Anna Stout asked, “So ...
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[UPDATED]: The $13 billion cost of fentanyl to Colorado’s families, budgets and communities
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, State, Top Stories

[UPDATED]: The $13 billion cost of fentanyl to Colorado’s families, budgets and communities

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice [UPDATED – July 3, 2025]: This story has been updated to include comments from Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly on Colorado’s fentanyl laws and enforcement challenges. Each Colorado taxpayer carries the burden of the fentanyl crisis, and in 2024, that amounted to about $2,220 per resident. A June report from the Common Sense Institute estimated the total cost for Colorado at $13.1 billion. This financial burden becomes reality in emergency healthcare services, preventative programs and lost productivity. But there’s also the deep emotional toll on families shattered by addiction and loss. Despite rising pressure to prevent overdose deaths and target traffickers, a 2024 bill to increase penalties for fentanyl posses...
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‘I’ve talked to fire chiefs—they’re scared’: Pueblo confronts growing homeless concerns
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Approved, Fox21, Local

‘I’ve talked to fire chiefs—they’re scared’: Pueblo confronts growing homeless concerns

By Hunter Phipps | Fox21 (PUEBLO, Colo.) — For people who live in the Bessemer neighborhood in Pueblo, they say things seem to be getting worse as the days go by. It’s why they decided to take their concerns to Pueblo City Council Members and speak out during the council’s work session on Monday evening. “It’s all over town from each and everybody’s district, we need our city back,” said Betty Finley, a resident who lives in the Bessemer neighborhood. One neighbor speaking out feels like more and more problems like drug use and trash are showing up, and feels helpless when trying to find anyone to help. “Right next door to us is another drug house, and it’s a revolving door for the homeless in and out, there’s people living in that backyard,” another neighbor who spoke out to c...
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Suspected trafficker caught with 220 grams of meth and handgun in Thornton traffic stop
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kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Suspected trafficker caught with 220 grams of meth and handgun in Thornton traffic stop

By Parker Gordon | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — The Brighton District Attorney’s Office has charged 44-year-old woman after a traffic stop on June 19, in which over 220 grams of meth and a loaded handgun were reportedly found at the 200 block of E. 120th Ave. The Thornton Police Department said in a Facebook post that police saw suspicious activity, conducted a traffic stop and then alerted Broomfield Police Department K-9 Rodo, who found the narcotics. The post also said that “a 44-year-old female and a 44-year-old male were both arrested and booked into the Adams County jail.” The Brighton DA’s office confirmed to FOX31 that Thornton PD’s post is related to the arrest of a woman named Suzanne Lamonaca, who has been charged with possession with intent to manu...
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Lone Tree man distributed 200K child porn images. 4 years in prison. DA blasts ‘soft-on-crime’ statutes.
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KRDO.COM, Approved, Local

Lone Tree man distributed 200K child porn images. 4 years in prison. DA blasts ‘soft-on-crime’ statutes.

By Sadie Buggle | KRDO CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KRDO) – A Lone Tree man will serve four years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing and distributing over 200,000 images of child pornography, the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s (DA) Office said. Following his release from prison, 28-year-old Daryl Henry Joe, Jr. will be required to serve ten years of probation. In March of 2024, Lone Tree police received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, regarding images of child pornography the agency had traced to a computer at Joe’s address in Lone Tree. According to the DA's office, Joe later admitted to not only possessing but distributing more than 200,000 sexually explicit images of children, including of infants and toddlers. Under Color...
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Colorado Activist Group Blocks ICE From Arresting Accused Child Rapist
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Local, Approved, denvergazette.com

Colorado Activist Group Blocks ICE From Arresting Accused Child Rapist

By Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette Federal immigration agents on Friday attempting to arrest a Salvadoran fugitive accused of child rape in Italy were thwarted when an anti-ICE group allegedly alerted him of the raid, allowing him to evade capture, federal authorities. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Saturday accused members of the Colorado Rapid Response Network on social media of interfering in the attempted arrest of Jose Reyes Leon-Deras. “Groups like this interfere with ICE’s ability to keep communities safe,” ICE said in an X post Saturday. “Thanks to Colorado Rapid Response members, a fugitive child rapist evaded our arrest. “We target specific aliens for GOOD reasons! Do YOU want a child rapist in your neighborhood?!” It’s unclear...
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‘The last straw’: Residents sound alarm after Father’s Day murder rattles Denver’s Ballpark District
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Westword, Approved, Local

‘The last straw’: Residents sound alarm after Father’s Day murder rattles Denver’s Ballpark District

By Bennito L. Kelty | Westword Businesses and residents in Denver's Ballpark District around Coors Field worry that crime is worsening in their neighborhood. Business owners and residents in downtown Denver's Ballpark District want police and city officials to make their area safer after a shooting in the area on Father's Day left a 23-year-old man dead and witnesses traumatized. "Crime in this neighborhood is horrible," said Justin Lloyd, the owner of Star Bar at 2137 Larimer Street, during a community meeting on Wednesday, June 18. "In certain areas of town at certain points throughout the day, just put police back on the streets, and whether that's on foot, on a motorcycle, or on a bicycle or on a horse, or whatever, I think it would make a big difference."About thirt...
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Luxury Apartments ‘Secure Garage’ Can’t Escape Denver’s Soft-on-Crime Fallout
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Local, Fox31

Luxury Apartments ‘Secure Garage’ Can’t Escape Denver’s Soft-on-Crime Fallout

By: Hanna Powers | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Several residents at a luxury Cherry Creek apartment building are voicing serious concerns about security after they say more than 20 vehicles have been broken into inside a gated garage in recent weeks. The break-ins happened at Griffis Cherry Creek North, where tenants say the building’s fob-access garage has been repeatedly targeted — and that management has failed to address the issue or notify residents. “This is the whole reason I moved here,” one tenant told FOX31, who asked to remain anonymous. “I used to live very much in the heart of downtown Denver; I didn’t feel very safe there. So I was like, ‘Let’s go somewhere safe’ — and it turns out, it’s not safe.” Mauricio Dubon, who lives in the building, said he discovered his car wi...
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