The report and public dashboard, which were due months ago, are mandated under new laws that allow for more public oversight on officers’ use of force with the public
Colorado Department of Public Safety
Posted inPolitics and Government
Office for Indigenous victims says it’s moving as fast as it can, but acknowledges families’ frustrations
Director Arron Julian says case investigations often involve cross-jurisdictional challenges
Posted inPolitics and Government
Colorado’s emergency management agency needs new leadership model and intervention, report says
Employees interviewed by a third-party consulting agency consistently described the DHSEM leadership as “dysfunctional,” which they say has eroded trust and communication in the division
Posted inBusiness, Crime and Courts, Health, News, Politics and Government
Colorado just released a big report on how cannabis legalization is going. Here’s what it found.
More than seven years since Colorado became the first state to allow cannabis to be sold at stores for recreational use, pot arrests are down, marijuana-impaired driving cases are up and school expulsions are both up and down. Those numbers — and a whole lot more — come from a new report released Monday by […]
Posted inClimate, Environment, News, Wildfire
Colorado is expecting another explosive wildfire year, but the state may be more prepared this time
Colorado wildfire experts are warning that conditions are setting up for wildfires as bad as last year, when the three largest forest fires on record burned for months. But this time, they think the state may be better prepared. Millions of dollars, multiple aircraft and coordinated partnerships between local, state and federal agencies are all […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
Calls to Colorado’s child abuse hotline fell during coronavirus, but harm to kids likely didn’t
As feared by child advocates, the number of calls to a statewide abuse and neglect hotline dropped significantly during the coronavirus pandemic. That’s not because abuse and neglect declined, but because the isolated days of COVID-19 have kept children out of sight. Calls to the hotline fell 13% compared with 2019 — that’s 193,448 calls […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, Growth, News, Wildfire
Colorado utilities fear wildfire risk — and liability — amid warming climate
As smoke from the California wildfires drifted eastward this summer, Holy Cross Energy CEO Bryan Hannegan had worries of his own in Colorado. In August, the hottest ever in Colorado, the Grizzly Creek fire growled and then charged several communities in the middle of his service territory that spans a 100-mile segment of Interstate 70 […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Rifles, mine-resistant vehicles, robots: How Colorado police have used a federal program to stockpile military gear
Tipping the scales in excess of 12 tons, with an estimated value of more than $700,000, the hulking mine-resistant armored combat vehicle rumbled through the streets of a small Eastern Plains town, angling toward a local park and a crowd of people. Once there, its rear doors swung open and out stepped an American service […]
Posted inGrowth, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Colorado’s volunteer search and rescue teams are overwhelmed and there are fears it’s going to get worse
It’s been 23 years since Colorado lawmakers last crafted legislation to help the state’s now 2,800 search and rescue volunteers. And with increasing calls stressing overwhelmed volunteers, they could use a bit of help. Help could come with a bipartisan bill making its way through the Capitol that would explore potential funding options to better […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Education, News, Politics and Government
Lawmakers reject Polis’ $3 million budget request, but agree to bolster threat training after STEM shooting
Lawmakers on Wednesday rejected Gov. Jared Polis’ request that they free up $3 million to hire more mental health professionals in schools, but agreed to spend $407,000 extra on training school administrators on how to conduct threat assessments. The Polis administration said in budget requests that the money was needed for both training and more […]