By Markian Hawryluk, KHN Dolores County Sheriff Don Wilson never expected to use Colorado’s red flag law when it was passed in 2019. He thought the law made it too easy to take a person’s guns away. The statute allows law enforcement officers or private citizens to petition a county court to confiscate firearms temporarily from […]
Joe Pelle
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado’s governor backs crime-prevention package amid continuing scrutiny from Republicans, some police groups
Gov. Jared Polis is backing a package of bills that will tackle an array of public safety issues through early intervention strategies and support for mental health programs aimed at making Colorado’s communities safer. The package, which seeks to bolster crime prevention measures at a community level, includes support for co-responder models, addressing public safety […]
Posted inNews, Wildfire
Louisville’s police chief knows his town’s pain. The Marshall fire destroyed his home, too.
BOULDER – Louisville Police Chief David Hayes wore shiny leather hiking boots and a gray pullover sweater as he faced the microphones, calmly explaining to a room crowded with reporters and television cameras that residents could soon pick up passes to reach neighborhoods scorched by the Marshall fire. What he did not announce during Monday’s […]
Posted inNews, Wildfire
“It is very, very difficult work”: Search continues for two people missing after Marshall fire
First responders are using their hands and small tools as they dig through the wreckage of buildings where two people were reported missing after the Marshall fire. “It is very, very difficult work given the debris, the heat and essentially working by hand with small tools to try to get through those locations,” Boulder County […]
Posted inNews, Wildfire
Three people are missing — and presumed dead — after Marshall fire, Boulder County authorities now say
Three people are missing — and presumed dead — after the Marshall fire swept through Boulder County, authorities said Saturday, a day after they said all missing persons had been accounted for and that no one had died in the disaster. “We unfortunately believe these are going to turn into recovery cases,” Boulder County Sheriff […]
Posted inMarshall Fire
As many as 600 homes lost, 6 people injured as Marshall fire quickly spreads across Boulder County
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle says downed power lines may have sparked the wildfires.
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Legislation to reduce Colorado’s jail populations makes sense for safety and social justice
This past summer’s worldwide protests against police brutality and calls to defund the police greatly increased discussions and renewed awareness of widespread structural and institutional racism that is normalized in America. The racial justice movement in America was clearly alive and well. It finally seemed possible to many that we could make substantial changes to […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Law enforcement warns of unintended consequences with Colorado Democrats’ sweeping police accountability bill
An inability to recruit officers. Financial burdens small law enforcement agencies can’t handle. Sullied prosecutions. As Colorado Democrats’ sweeping police accountability bill received its first hearing on Thursday, police, prosecutors and Republican state lawmakers raised concerns about unintended consequences. “This bill is needed. We agree these types of actions are needed to respond to the […]