The latest news, information and highlights from CDPS.
The Public Safety Post
Our Motto: "Safer Together"

Dear CDPS members,

Last year, we launched the Leadership Strategies Institute as a way to bring together leaders from throughout our department to foster communication, collaboration, accountability and employee engagement within CDPS.

Now that we are ¾ of the way through the first cohort, we are seeing some of their early efforts come to fruition, and we’re eagerly looking forward to projects that are in the development stage. Some of the things we have seen so far in our divisions include process improvement, strategic planning, resource mapping, trainings/seminars, and leadership communications. Keep an eye out for upcoming, exciting new efforts within your division. 

The next cohort will take the torch in August and will continue to carry it forward to light the way towards innovation and progress on our shared goals. I’m proud of all of you and the great work you’re doing to help CDPS continually improve as we serve our mission!

– Executive Director Stan Hilkey
Join CDPS in Special Olympics Torch Run!
It's not too late to join your CDPS brothers and sisters in supporting a great cause during the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run! Be part of our team and sign up to jog, run, walk or even just spectate as the Special Olympics torch makes its way from the Capitol in Denver to the Pepsi Center.

Cost is $30, which includes a T-shirt and lunch, with all proceeds supporting the Special Olympics. If you're not in the Denver-metro area, there are also many opportunities to participate in other Colorado locations. 
Excellence in Public Safety Services
DHSEM Office of Emergency Management Earns National Accreditation

On April 28, 2017, the Emergency Management program of the State of Colorado received notification that it has been granted full accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP). This accreditation represents a significant achievement; the program had to demonstrate compliance with 64 EMAP standards. Read the EMAP announcement.

EMAP recognizes the ability of emergency management programs to bring together personnel, resources and communications from a variety of agencies and organizations in preparation for and in response to an emergency.

The accreditation process evaluates emergency management programs on compliance with requirements in 16 areas, including planning, resource management, training, exercises, evaluations, communications and warning, and administration.

CBI Plans Series of Events to Celebrate 50th Anniversary
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation was founded in 1967. To celebrate the organization's 50th anniversary, CBI is planning a series of events. Events and details are still being finalized, but make sure to mark your calendars to join in congratulating CBI on 50 years of excellence!

CBI Awards Ceremony—Celebrating 50 Years of Service
2 p.m., Monday, July 31 at the Lakewood Cultural Center

CBI Ceremony at State Capitol
10 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 1, west steps of the State Capitol 
Director Rankin will lead a ceremony on the steps of the Capitol to celebrate the anniversary of the Bureau.

Dates TBD—50th Anniversary Regional Celebrations
CBI employees and their families will be invited to attend celebrations at the regional offices for a picnic/meal in honor of the 50th anniversary.
 
Innovation & Collaboration
DFPC Partners with BLM to Research Water Enhancers to Fight Wildfires
In May 2017, DFPC and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) launched a study to determine the effectiveness of water enhancers in helping to fight wildfires.

The study is being conducted by DFPC's Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting (CoE), DFPC's Aviation Unit, and the BLM. Water enhancers have been in operational use in recent years, but their effectiveness has received very little field testing to date. The CoE is focusing on three different water enhancers and will be performing operational evaluations during the 2017 fire season to document the effectiveness of the water enhancers on wildfires.

On May 4, testing was conducted at the DFPC Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) base located at the Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport. After the drops, DFPC used their Multi-Mission Aircraft to assess the aerial visibility of two colorants being tested.

How do water enhancers differ from the fire retardant you usually see being dropped during wildfire responses? Find out and learn more about the project on our blog.
Finance, DHSEM, OIT Collaborate to Make Purchasing Process Leaner
You may have heard of "Lean" programs being implemented in the state. Lean is one of many systems that can be applied to improve processes and, consequently, increase efficiency to save time, effort, resources and money. Improvements are incremental, and don't necessarily have to involve huge changes; the idea is to look closely at each step in our processes and determine if there are ways to eliminate waste.  

A perfect example of this framework in action is a recent collaboration between DHSEM and Finance. With help from OIT staff, they implemented a faster, easier, cleaner, Purchase Authorization (PA) process. Purchase Authorizations must go through several layers of approvals, which could be cumbersome and time-consuming when requiring a requester to send a physical paper through various hands for physical signatures. There were also opportunities to lose track of where the authorization stood.

DHSEM and Finance launched a new SharePoint PA application that allows every step of the request to take place online in the Sharepoint site. This has simplified the manual process and makes it possible to view the status of the PA throughout the approval process. 
Commitment to Community: Service in Action
Volunteer Day Provides Opportunity to Give Back to Community
The workers at DHSEM live public service; it's what they do every day for their jobs. But there's something about volunteering that is good for the heart and soul, so some members gathered on May 4 to help out one resident at a time through a volunteer project.Watch the video below to find out more!
Port of Entry Officer Honored by Governor for Outstanding Public Service
Port of Entry Officer Charles "Tony" Freeman was honored with a Governor's Public Service Recognition Award on May 9 at a ceremony at the Governor's Carriage House. 

Tony serves the public and helps safeguard travelers on Colorado's highways by ensuring that commercial vehicles traveling on our highways are safe and comply with state and federal law. But it is his service to the community outside of work that earned Tony statewide recognition: for the past 18 years, Tony has given his time and money to organize, supply and host community fish fry fundraisers. He donates the proceeds from each fundraiser to a different cause in his Fort Morgan community, from helping individual families with medical costs to supporting local nursing homes and nonprofits. 

We will be sharing Tony's story and more details in our inaugural Faces of CDPS video series, which will be posted on our newly launched CDPS Facebook page! Stay tuned... and go "like" our page to keep up on good news about the great work of CDPS members like Tony!
Getting Better Every Day: Continual Improvement
HR Launches New Supervisor Training Series
In June, HR will launch a new series of in-person trainings that will help develop and hone a variety of supervisory skills. HR staff will offer a different training each week focusing on topics ranging from hiring and interviewing to managing performance and retaining talent. 

Each class is 90 minutes long and is offered in a classroom setting. Although the first four courses are being offered at the Kipling complex, HR staff are available to bring these trainings to supervisors in locations throughout the state. View the list of upcoming trainings and/or request a training for your office by visiting the HR Intranet. 
DCJ Unit Offers Opportunity to Learn about Curriculum Development
EPIC, a unit within DCJ, is providing an opportunity for CDPS staff to learn the ins and outs of curriculum design using a multi-faceted approach. Twelve participants from three divisions are taking part in “Designing Learning Using an Evidence-Based Approach.”

This course relies on adult learning theory and the latest research on professional development to provide participants with the skills to design and develop curricula. Pre-work for the course includes regular meetings of participants, sharing needs and applications of curriculum design. These meetings are held as a “Community of Practice," where all parties take part in learning and helping each other learn. Three days of classroom work are spread over three weeks in July, followed by a continuation of the Community of Practice.

In February, EPIC provided two workshops on designing effective presentations, called “Fundamentals of Presentation Preparation.” The courses focused on how writing clear goals and thorough performance objectives can enhance the effectiveness of presentations. Evidence-based slide design was touched on briefly, and this topic generated much interest. 44 DCJ employees attended the workshops, and the evaluations were overwhelmingly positive.
Snapshots
Practice Makes Perfect: Heli-Drop Day with CONG
On May 6, DFPC operated a heli-base for firefighters to earn their helicopter water-drop certifications for fighting wildland fires. Members of the Colorado National Guard practiced water drops and worked on certifications. Meanwhile, the CDPS Logistics team's Wildland Fire support section used the event as an opportunity to practice, drill and prepare: they set up an incident command post, treated the training as a response exercise, and even concluded with an after-action discussion. 
CDPS Represents at National Law Enforcement Memorial
Director Hilkey, Deputy Director Spiess and a total of 31 CDPS representatives traveled to Washington, DC, to remember and honor members of law enforcement who have given their lives in the line of duty. As part of National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Week, the delegates attended a memorial ceremony and a candlelight vigil, and CDPS hosted a reception for Colorado law enforcement and Colorado families of those being remembered. 

Better, Faster, Safer...
State of Colorado Supports your Ergonomic Well Being!
To increase our Efficiency, Effectiveness and Elegance in performing workstation ergonomic evaluations,  the State Office of Risk Management offers a 100% online program called ErgoPoint. The program  consists of a short interactive training followed by a self evaluation checklist. It should take 40-45  minutes to complete them both, but you may bookmark your spot at any time.

Take the Assessment Today! You can also find more information about the program from this Ergonomics Document. 

Deadline to Earn Wellness Incentive Points is June 15
June 15 is the deadline to complete activities to earn up to $240 in wellness incentives through the State of Colorado health and wellness program. All points are logged and earned through CafeWell. Find out More. 

Save Money on Airport Parking 
State employees can receive 40% off parking reservations at WallyPark using the State of Colorado corporate discount  for business or personal travel.
 
Use this link to access the corporate discount page: https://corp.wallypark.com/state-of-colorado/state-of-colorado-den/
 
If you don’t have an existing WallyPark account, you will need to create an online reservation profile. Be sure to add “State of Colorado” in the Employer field. When reserving a parking spot, set your pick-up and drop off dates, click “Continue,” then type in your e-mail address and password and click on the “Sign In” link.  Do not continue as a Guest.  
Do you have ideas for good-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].