Dear CDPS members,
I've said it before, but it bears repeating: we are stronger and safer together. When we unite behind a common cause, we achieve so much more. Relationships are the heart of any organization -- any community -- any society.
Though my heart still aches for the losses our community and our nation have endured in 2018, I am proud to share examples in this month's newsletter of CDPS members joining forces with each other and with our partners for the greater good. Whether offering support in the wake of tragedies, raising funds for a great cause, learning how to save the lives of coworkers, partnering on preventive campaigns, connecting organizations with much-needed funding, or training others, our CDPS family is making an enormous positive impact by collaborating in support of our shared mission.
Thank you for providing a shining example of the power of unity in purpose.
--Stan Hilkey
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HR Update
The state of Colorado is working to move all state employees to biweekly pay by July 2018. This change is being led by the Department of Personnel and Administration (DPA), which will provide employees with information, a web site, answers to frequently asked questions, tools and more.
CDPS HR and Payroll staff are participating in discussions to ensure project managers are taking into consideration the unique needs of CDPS employees. Although DPA is taking the lead on this project and will be the primary source of information, please do feel free to reach out to HR and/or Payroll with your questions.
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State Patrol Joins "Violation of the Month" Campaign
The Colorado State Patrol is participating in the Violation of the Month program. Initiated early this year by Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz, the program is a collaboration of 22 law enforcement agencies in the metro area, in addition to CDOT and the National Traffic Safety Administration.
The violation of the month program aims to reduce motor vehicle fatalities and serious injury crashes, which are reaching all-time highs in Colorado.
Each month, participating agencies will collectively target a driving violation for enforcement and public education. One violation will be selected per month, such as speed, seatbelt usage, distracted driving, or driving under the influence; that violation will then be the metro-area focus for the month.The violation for each month will be selected based on data from participating agencies.
The goal is to positively influence driver behavior, and ultimately prevent serious injuries and deaths that result from dangerous driving. The first focus of the campaign will be speeding.
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CDPS has launched a collaborative effort to pull all together in the same direction on a few key, shared charitable events each year. The CDPS Cares effort does not replace the many charitable activities championed by individual members, units and offices each year, but rather provides a few focused campaigns for all CDPS employees to unite around.
For 2018, CDPS leaders have chosen to support the Special Olympics due to its special, longstanding relationship with law enforcement; its statewide presence and opportunities for participation; and our history of existing participation in events such as the Law Enforcement Torch Run and Polar Plunges.
Last year, we had a successful trial run of this concept when we joined forces to encourage CDPS-wide participation in the Torch Run -- achieving our highest ever participation level. Sgt. Rob Madden from the State Patrol played a critical role in rallying our members to achieve last year’s success, and this year he is leading a team of passionate representatives from each division to coordinate participation in special events throughout the year.
We're already off to great success! A team led by DHSEM member Nate Whittington crushed their goals, raising more than $2,500 for their plunge on March 10 in Aurora. In Pueblo, the CDPS "Polar Punishers" team, led by Capt. Brian Lyons, took first place among teams by raising nearly $2,000 for their event on Feb. 17.
There will be many more opportunities to get involved and give back, including upcoming Polar Plunge teams in Avon, Boulder, Ft. Collins, Colorado Springs and Denver.
Find out more here.
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DHSEM Unveils Updated Mission, Vision, Values & Organizational Structure
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In February DHSEM rolled out important changes as part of a strategic planning process that involved feedback from employees, customers, stakeholders and the DHSEM employee council.
On Feb. 12, DHSEM announced an updated mission, vision and core values, and guiding principles for the division. (See image).
On Feb. 22, DHSEM continued the strategic planning process by announcing realignments to the division's organizational structure to better serve their stakeholders and the citizens of Colorado.
The realignment officially takes effect on March 19, 2018. "We accomplished this realignment without downgrading classification or eliminating filled positions. We were exceptionally sensitive about focusing on our business needs and not specific people," DHSEM Director Kevin Klein said.
DHSEM will reach out to external stakeholders impacted by the realignment to ensure that they have new contact information.
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CIMU Sets the Bar for Work on CCIC Advisory Boards
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It’s not a surprise that the CBI is recognized nationally as a leader in managing the Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC) computer system, which is accessed thousands of times daily by Colorado law enforcement for information during traffic stops, in Dispatch and during the course of police operations.
This system is governed using two advisory boards: the Board of Working Advisors (BWA), which includes individuals who supervise and work on CCIC and the Board of Executive Directors (BED), which consists of sheriffs and police chiefs.
CIMU has made it a priority to improve the Bureau’s alignment with the law enforcement community and to focus on cultivating positive and productive working relationships with chiefs, sheriffs and others.
It was a direct result of this process and feedback from the Board members to the FBI-CJIS division that CBI was invited to join the N3G Task Force, which is working to design the next version of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
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Red Cross Trains Employees how to "Stop the Bleed"
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As part of ensuring employees are prepared for active shooters and other potential emergencies, Adrienne Loye coordinated a "stop the bleed" training led by the American Red Cross.
Participants learned how to stop severe bleeding and walked away with bleeding control kits that included scissors, gauze, a tourniquet, medical gloves and more.
The training followed on the heels of several Active Shooter trainings. We plan to offer a webinar version of the Active Shooter Training this spring.
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DCJ Office to Manage $52 million in Crime Victim Services Grant Funds
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The Office for Victims Programs (OVP) within the Division of Criminal Justice is now accepting applications for federal Crime Victim Services Funds. This year, OVP will manage approximately $52 million worth of these funds!
The grants include:
- Victims of Crime Act (VOCA)
- S.T.O.P. Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
- State Victim Assistance and Law Enforcement (State VALE)
- Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP)
Grant funds are awarded through a competitive application process. The Crime Victim Services Advisory Board reviews submitted applications and then provides their recommendations to the Executive Director of the Department of Public Safety for review and approval.
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DUI Campaign Scores a Shut-out for Crashes During Super Bowl
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State Patrol Troop 2A participated in a multi-agency effort to make the Superbowl weekend safer by cracking down on impaired driving. The effort involved the Fremont Sheriff, CSP 2A, CSP VCU, Florence PD, Canon City PD and Custer Sheriff's Office. The goal of the program was to influence citizen decisions and have ZERO crashes in Fremont County.
A week prior to the event, the State Patrol troop used
social media
and a press release to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving. They reached out to McDivitt Law Firm, who agreed to pay for taxi rides home from bars for people in Canon City, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. A nearby Chili's agreed to reward designated drivers that night. AMR, the local ambulance service donated an ambulance and crew for on-scene blood draws. The coroner came with his truck. The D.A. brought three new deputy D.A.s. CDOT worked to support the effort by designing a safe traffic control plan to allow Troopers to conduct a sobriety checkpoint.
Four impaired drivers were arrested at the checkpoint. A fifth impaired driver (and fugitive from justice) was arrested by the saturation patrol. The campaign was well-received: both citizen comments on the checkpoint and social media comments were 99% positive. The night ended with ZERO crashes in Fremont County -- a huge success for the multi-agency partnership.
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CBI Focuses on Missing Persons
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The CBI hosted a Missing and Unidentified Person workshop for southern Colorado law enforcement at the CBI Pueblo Regional Office in late January. Led by CBI Investigations and Forensic Services in partnership with local and federal partners, the one-day session offered important information about missing persons cases for investigators and others from nine southern Colorado public safety agencies.
Topics included DNA and fingerprint resources for investigators, an overview of the CBI’s Missing Person investigations process, NamUs technology resources, and much more.
In addition to the comprehensive training for external partners, CBI Pueblo’s CODIS Administrator Justin Maxwell and CBI Analyst Audrey Simkins provided extended training for Bureau employees about Missing Persons investigations.
On Feb. 2, CBI joined lawmakers and the community in commemorating Missing Persons Day at the state Capitol in Denver. The event featured the reading of a special Resolution and a ceremony to recognize the more than 300 individuals currently missing for more than a year in Colorado.
“The unwavering commitment of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to identify information about missing individuals in Colorado is reflected through critical programs and resources such as the Cold Case Database, Cold Case Task Force, Cold Case Playing Card Program, and partnerships built with national organizations focused on locating missing persons,” CBI Director John Camper said during the ceremony. “It is imperative we do all we can as an organization to provide families with the possibility of locating their long term missing loved ones.”
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CDPS Steps Up to Support in Wake of Tragic Line-of-Duty Deaths
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The death of Detective Micah Flick marked the third line of duty death in Colorado in just five weeks by gunfire. When a member of the law enforcement family in Colorado is killed in the line of duty, it touches all of us. CDPS members mobilize to provide support. State Patrol members may respond to the crime scene, help in in the search for a fleeing suspect, or assist with traffic control immediately after the incident or in relation to the funeral and procession. CBI may be called upon to assist with the investigation.
Did you know that members of DHSEM also play a role behind the scenes? When a line of duty death occurs, situational awareness, information management and threat analysis are important needs. On Feb. 5, the CIAC assisted to the El Paso County Sheriff and Colorado Springs Police following the shooting of four officers. The CIAC supported both agencies with real-time analysis and threat detection as they moved through this difficult time.
The CIAC was also engaged in threat monitoring for the previous two line of duty deaths, Deputy Parrish and Deputy Gumm. DHSEM also provided public information support by staffing the joint information center and coordinating media during the funerals.
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Applications for Next Leadership Strategies Institute Are Due March 16
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The LSI is an ongoing effort initiated and supported by CDPS leadership to engage CDPS employees and create a culture of collaboration, communication and innovation.
The first cohort of the Institute focused on employee engagement and creating alignment of mission, vision and values. The second cohort is delving into employee engagement.
The third year of the Institute will launch in August 2018 with a focus on personal, organizational and community resiliency.
You can find out more about the LSI on the
LSI website.
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DFPC at National Fire Academy
The Colorado National Fire Academy took place in mid-February in Grand Junction. Classes included Fire Officer I, Shaping the future, Health and Safety Officer, Fire Investigation: First Responders, and the Chief Officer Training course.
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Training Tool Travels to Clifton
DFPC's Mobile Live Fire Trailer Unit is currently being trained on in Clifton, CO.
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Service Runs in our Blood!
Nearly 60 CDPS employees signed up to donate blood on Feb. 9, 2018. The Bonfils mobile blood bus came to the parking lot of the Kipling campus. Sgt. John Ehmsen organized the event after a hugely successful trial on CDPS Gives Day last fall. CDPS will hold blood drives on the Kipling campus three times in 2018, so there will be at least two more opportunities to save a life by donating blood!
Pictured: Lisa Carmichael from OIT donates blood.
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Trooper Sends Vehicle to Raise Child's Spirits
In 2017, the 3-year-old son of a Larimer County Sheriff's deputy developed a cancerous tumor in his brain. CSP Trooper Jerry Sharp wanted to lift the child's spirits, so he set up a fundraiser to purchase and customize a PowerWheels car. Trooper Sharp worked with vendors to have the PowerWheels decorated as a Larimer County patrol car. The fundraiser was so successful that, in addition to the PowerWheels,Trooper Sharp was able to present the Gentry family with a check for medical expenses.
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Ben Miller Selected as Center of Excellence Director
On Feb. 6, DFPC Director Mike Morgan announced that Ben Miller has been selected as the next director of the Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting (CoE).
Ben spent the first part of his career with 15 years of service with the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office. Most notably, Ben was the founder and program manager of the first operational unmanned aerial system (UAS) program for a non federal public safety agency in the United States. Throughout the industry, Ben is regarded as a thought leader on the applications of small unmanned aircraft in public safety.
Ben has spent the latter part of his public safety career researching, testing and evaluating public safety-related technologies that increase safety and efficiency for first responders. Having managed the adoption of numerous new technologies and processes, Ben is excited for the opportunity to lead a first class team and create the space for they need to big things.
Ben is a western slope native and resides in Grand Junction with his wife of 17 years and their 14-year-old twins.
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Do you have news, stories, events, "People on the Move", or other content to share with all CDPS employees? Submit your story ideas, details and photos by the 10th of the month to your Division PIO or to
[email protected]
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