Dear CDPS members,
In just over a month, the nomination period will open for the second annual CDPS Director’s Awards. This Department-wide recognition program aims to celebrate the teams and individuals who embody the shared vision and values that unite all of our divisions, programs, and people.
We will email out links to the online nomination forms to all CDPS members in early July, along with the deadline for submitting nominations. I encourage you to take the time to review the award categories and to nominate your colleagues for their hard work, contributions to public safety, collaboration, innovation, outstanding customer service, leadership and commitment to our mission.
You can find out more about the awards by watching
this overview video
and reading the
Director’s Awards policy
, which provides all the details you need to know about the categories, nomination criteria, timeline, eligibility and more.
Like last year, award winners will be recognized at a fun, informal event in September that all CDPS members will be invited to attend.
I am proud of the work you do to serve the people of Colorado and make our communities safer, and I am excited about this opportunity to showcase your excellence alongside our brothers and sisters in CDPS. Good luck and get to nominating!
--Stan Hilkey
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Legislative Update: The Issues Affecting You
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The 2018 Legislative Session came to a close on May 9. A number of decisions affected or were of interest to CDPS; below are a few of the more prominent issues, and you can read more on the CDPS blog.
No Move to Bi-Weekly Pay in 2018
The Legislature did not pass a bill that would have enabled the Department of Personnel and Administration (DPA) to move forward with a shift to a statewide biweekly pay schedule.Therefore, pay cycles will remain unchanged for the time being. CDPS does not have plans to implement semi-monthly pay as allowed by existing legislation; If DPA decides to move forward with semi-monthly pay statewide, this transition will not occur before mid-2019, and we will provide you with ample notice and details of how the transition will work.
Bill passes to fully fund PERA
On May 9, 2018, the Colorado General Assembly passed Senate Bill 18-200 (SB-200), legislation that will restore PERA to full funding in 30 years. You can find out more information and details on what was passed by visiting the
PERA news page, or check out this
summary of the changes.
Budget funds more Troopers, officer safety package, Black Market Marijuana Team, and more
The FY19 Colorado budget includes funding for a number of items that benefit or affect CDPS, including:
- $1.8 million and 14.5 FTE for the Colorado State Patrol, as well as an officer safety package totaling $1.1 million.
- Funding and 5.2 FTE (annualized in 2019 to 7.5 FTE) for DHSEM for the CIAC Watch Center to take over the Safe2Tell duties that are currently being handled by CSP Dispatch.
- Funding for CDPS to launch a new, 8-person Black Market Marijuana Interdiction Team to be housed within CBI.
- An additional $3 million was added to the Wildfire Preparedness Line Item in the Division of Fire Prevention and Control due to the expectation of a severe wildfire season. Additionally, in an effort to better support training efforts, the legislature also allocated $450,000 and 4 FTE to increase utilization of live-fire and driving simulators.
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Trooper Josh Lewis Honored at Governor's Public Service Recognition Week Event
As part of National Public Service Recognition Week, the Governor’s Office and the Department of Personnel & Administration (DPA) hosted a special event on May 11 to honor employees who most exemplify the significant and invaluable contributions public servants make to the quality of life in our state.
Each department in the executive branch selected one employee to honor at the event. The Colorado Department of Public Safety selected Trooper Josh Lewis for the honor in 2018. Trooper Lewis was chosen because of the outstanding work he performs on social media. He connects with the public in a way that educates, informs, encourages safety behaviors, fosters trust, and strengthens the relationship between the State Patrol and the people we serve.
Visit our blog to read more about the accomplishments of Trooper Lewis and to see the other CDPS employees who were nominated by their peers or leaders.
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Congratulations to Leadership Strategies Institute Cohort 2!
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CDPS celebrated the graduation of the second Leadership Strategies Institute (LSI) cohort on May 3. 2018. Participation in the LSI is not for the faint-of-heart. All members of the cohort worked in Emergenetics-based teams and taught sessions to their LSI colleagues during the course of the year; they interviewed a leader, studied leadership books, participated in vigorous discussion developed solutions for challenges within their divisions and across the department.
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DHSEM Leads State Team Attending National Academy to Prevent Targeted Violence
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On April 27, the
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) announced that four states, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan and Virginia, have been selected for a policy academy aimed at developing strategic plans to prevent ideologically-inspired violence. DHSEM Division Director Kevin Klein will act as the Colorado team leader.
Ideologically-inspired violence is a multifaceted threat to localities, states, and the nation as a whole. Recent attacks underscore that the threat landscape is diverse and a challenge for all levels of government. Governors have a role in building resilience to ideologically-inspired violence by convening resources, stakeholders and programs across their states. Governors have a long history of spearheading violence prevention efforts and can leverage lessons learned, relationships, and resources from those programs to prevent individuals from acting violently on the behalf of any ideology.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Terrorism Prevention Partnerships, this policy academy will allow state teams to learn from national experts and their peers from other states as they establish their strategies. Each state will participate in two policy academy meetings, an in-state workshop and a series of conference calls and webinars during implementation of the plans.
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DFPC Showcases Mobile Training Unit at National Firefighter Training Expo
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DFPC's Mobile Live Fire Training Unit was showcased at the world's largest firefighter training and expo: the annual Fire Department Instructor's Conference in downtown Indianapolis. The conference, which ran April 23-28, welcomed thousands of firefighters from across the country and some from across the globe.
The Mobile Live Fire Training Unit is a state-of-the-art training structure used to provide a safe training environment simulating a realistic structure fire. The simulator is used for training scenarios for firefighters to train on fire attack, size-up, incident command, hoseline and nozzle control, and accountability.
Recognizing the value this mobile simulator provides for smaller fire departments that lack their own permanent training facilities, the Colorado legislature allocated $450,000 and 4 FTE to increase utilization of live-fire and driving simulators in FY19 (see legislative article, above).
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DCJ-supported Council Plays Critical Role in Juvenile Justice Reform Effort
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On May 14, Gov. John Hickenlooper announced a comprehensive review of Colorado’s juvenile justice system. The Governor was joined by Sen. Bob Gardner (R), Rep. Pete Lee (D), and Justice Brian Boatright of the Colorado Supreme Court in launching an effort that will aim to ensure that youth who find themselves in corrections at an early age can have a second chance to build successful futures. The effort will be centered around a new "Improving Outcomes for Youth" Statewide Task Force.
Colorado's Governor-appointed Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Council, which is supported by DCJ's Office of Adult and Juvenile Justice Assistance (OAJJA) plays an important role in this effort. The Council just completed its 2018-20 juvenile justice and delinquency plan, which was submitted to the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and will be shared with the Council for State Governments as they begin working with the new Task Force. The plan provides an analysis of juvenile justice data from prevention through intervention, and outlines the JJDP Council's efforts to address needs within the state.
In addition, four members of the JJDP Council have been appointed to the Task Force. Meg Williams, who is the manager of OAJJA, was also appointed. She serves as the designated Juvenile Justice Specialist for Colorado.
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DHSEM Staff Represent Colorado at National Preparedness Symposium
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Four members of DHSEM represented Colorado during the 2018 National Preparedness Symposium held at the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in Emmitsburg, Maryland, May 21-24.
- Lynn Bailey, State Training Officer/Training and Exercise Section Supervisor,co-presented on the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) from the State and the Assessor's Points of View.
- Nowell Curran, Regional Training and Exercise Specialist, was a co-presenter for "Training and Exercise Planning Workshop: Best Practices for Preparation."
- Cindy VonFeldt, SEOC Exercise Officer, co-presented a discussion of the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)
- Elizabeth Ownsby co-presented on Online Training Modules for WebEOC.
The National Preparedness Symposium targets training and exercise staff at the state, tribal and territorial levels as well as federal partners in the emergency management and homeland security training and exercise arena. The purpose of the Symposium is to provide a forum for sharing best practices and case studies in training and exercises.
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DCJ Hosts Law Fellow from Eastern Europe to Showcase Juvenile Justice
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Ketevan Vashakidze is a lawyer from the country of Georgia who is completing a fellowship studying the U.S. criminal justice system, in particular our juvenile justice system. She is spending her fellowship with the Division of Criminal Justice, where she has been shadowing members of the Division and exploring various aspects of Colorado's government and criminal justice system. She accompanied representatives of CBI and the Office of Adult and Juvenile Justice Assistance to the capitol to watch as they gave testimony to legislature. Here, she is pictured at the Capitol with DCJ Director Joe Thome.
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Our Public Safety Mission in Action
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2018 Already a Busy Year for DFPC Wildland Fire
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April was a busy month for DFPC's Wildland Fire Management Section: personnel responded to more than 40 fires in Colorado and put in over 650 hours of response time. In just the first four months of 2018, the Wildland Fire Management Section has spent more than 2,300 hours responding to more than 100 fires in Colorado!
In addition to responding, these CDPS members are also still continuing to train and prepare alongside our local, state and federal partners. DFPC suppression crews participated in a pre-season training at Colorado FireCamp in April, and the DFPC Northeast Region Fire Management Officer supported the 2018 Alpine Guard Training in Fort Morgan as well.
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DCJ Publishes Helpful, Informative Guide About Adult Sex Offenders
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Who are sex offenders and who do they victimize? How can you stay safe and keep your children safe? And how does Colorado manage these offenders to reduce their likelihood of re-offending?
The Office of the Domestic Violence and Sex Offender Management Boards (DVSOMB) within DCJ has published a
new educational guide covering a range of information about adult sex offenders. The guide starts with an overview sharing research and statistics about who sex offenders are, who they tend to victimize, and how likely they are to commit additional crimes. The guide provides an overview of how Colorado manages sex offenders, and then offers helpful information and tips for the public, including:
- How to report sex offenses
- How to be supportive of someone who has been victimized
- Important facts about teens and today's technology
- Tips for protecting yourself and children
- Quick guidance for what to do if a sex offender lives in your community
- Additional resources
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CBI Grand Junction Partners with Local Businesses to Host Shred Event
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The CBI Grand Junction regional office partnered with local businesses to host a document shred event at Grand Junction Alpine Banks on May 12.
The event aimed to help Western Slope residents protect their identities and financial information by shredding documents with sensitive information. Additionally, organizers partnered with the public to raise money for a local non-profit; although the event was free, participants were encouraged to make a $5 donation to benefit Mesa County Partners.
The final result: the event resulted in $4,700 in donations and thousands of pounds of paper destroyed, thereby protecting many identities.
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State Patrol Focuses on Saving Lives through Seatbelt Use in NE Colorado
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The Colorado State Patrol launched a multi-prong campaign on May 2 to reduce deaths and injuries due to low seatbelt usage in northeastern Colorado. The campaign used the hashtag #StopTheReaper and included targeted enforcement, a news conference at a popular local restaurant, a Facebook live Q&A session with Chief Packard, and a Twitter "Tweet-along."
District 3 has seen more than 20 deaths this year of unrestrained drivers or passengers.
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CSSRC Releases Educational Training About Sexting
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In 2017, the Colorado legislature mandated the Colorado School Safety Resource Center (CSSRC) to create an educational program regarding the consequences of juvenile sexting as a part of a new law that changed the criminal charging process.
CSSRC is pleased to announce that the course is complete and now available online in multiple formats; juveniles who are required to take the course must complete it via COTRAIN, a platform that enables testing during various points throughout the course and generates a certificate of completion. Parents, educators, teens and anyone who works with youth or wants to understand the law can also watch a screen-capture of the
course online on the CDPS YouTube channel.
The course provides explanations of Colorado's statute related to sexting and consequences of sexting, and also covers concepts of healthy relationships including consent, empathy, respect for self and others, and boundary setting.
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Take your Kids to Work Day
CDPS divisions teamed up to provide an educational, fun and unforgettable experience for members' children on Take Your Kid to Work Day on April 26. At the Kipling campus, children got to get their fingerprints taken, learn about Amber Alerts, aim a fire hose, and explore vehicles from CBI, DFPC and the State Patrol, among other activities.
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Softball Team Brings CDPS Family Together
CDPS has a new team competing in the State of Colorado metro-Denver employee softball league! The CDPS "Tazed and Confused" team is led by captains Amber Feldman, Jordin Knabenshue, and Kristopher Kuba, and includes Melissa Tafoya, Joseph Delgado, Kevin Rants, Cameron Burke, Viktor Bojilov, Laura Marungo, Brian DeLange, and Stephanie Knowles. Also joining the team are Nick Severn and Nate Weatherford from OSC, and family member Vanessa Villela.
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Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial
Hundreds of law enforcement officers, family members and citizens gathered on May 4 for the annual Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony. The ceremony remembers those who have lost their lives in the line of duty in Colorado. This year, Douglas County Sheriff's deputy Zachari Parrish was honored. Additionally, five historic names were added to the wall, including Molly Tyler of the Colorado State Patrol.
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CBI, CSP Pull Together for a Good Cause
In honor of National Police Week, and continuing with the giving spirit of law enforcement, members of CBI Grand Junction paired with troopers from Colorado State Patrol Troop 4A to take part in the annual Bearcat pull held at the Grand Junction Police Department on May 17. Together, they raised nearly $400 for Special Olympics Colorado.
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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
Patricia.Billinger@state.co.us
.
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