PPD 2015 Annual Report

Transcription

PUEBLO CITY COUNCIL
President Steve Nawrocki
At-Large
Council Member Chris Nicoll
At-Large
Council Member Larry Atencio
District 2
Council Member Ray Aguilera
District 4
PPD Annual Report 2015
Vice President Ed Brown
District 3
Council Member Lori Winner
At-Large
Council Member Bob Schilling
District 1
1
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF OF POLICE
The men and women of the Pueblo Police Department were quite resilient
during 2015. The department faced a number of challenges that were
brought about by a sluggish economy, budgetary constraints, an increase
in violent crime, and a deficiency of civilian and sworn personnel alike.
Even so, the organization continued to provide quality police services to
the citizens of the City of Pueblo while engaging in innovative programs
in collaboration with the community.
We started the year by placing into service the use of Body Worn
Cameras in January, 2015. The initial implementation involved our Patrol
officers; however, about eight months into the program, we expanded the
use of these cameras to include Patrol supervisors, our School Resource
Officers, and our Code Enforcement Officers.
The benefits of
transparency have been bolstered by a decrease in officer use of force,
and complaints sustained against officers. We were also able to equip
all of our Patrol officers with the current generation Taser Conducted
Electrical Weapon. These less than lethal devices provide our officers
with the option to use a weapon that will not take a life.
Chief Luis Velez
Our SWAT team produced an “Active Shooter” class that was provided to local organizations as a result of
high demand for such training. We initiated an “AutoBody Alert” program, in partnership with car service
providers, for locating Hit and Run vehicles. The Department received an award for “going above and
beyond” from the military Reserves and the National Guard. We initiated a partnership with the FBI Safe
Streets Task Force in order to better deal with gangs in the City.
In keeping with our Community Policing philosophy, we utilized foot patrols on the Riverwalk during evening
hours. We also applied problem-solving solutions to crime incidents throughout the City. We expanded
the responsibilities of our civilian Records clerks to take minor case reports with suspect information. They
ended the year by having shouldered 14% of the case reports that would have normally been taken by
Patrol officers. Our Facebook page reached 10,000 likes and we created a video in celebration of that
achievement. Our Firearms Range was upgraded with help from Black Hills Energy, Lowes, and many
other companies.
We continued moving towards CALEA Accreditation and we expect to have our on-site assessment
completed in the 4th quarter of 2016. We ordered “Trauma Management Packs” for all Patrol officers, in
the event that they are wounded, they will have life-saving equipment at their side. Our 35 Volunteers
provided the department with 5,498 donated hours. The value of their time was estimated at $141,189.
Our Training Academy was very busy throughout the year: they provided a total of 19,192 in house training
hours, and members of the department compiled another 3,254 hours of outside training.
This Annual Report shows the dedication of the men and women of the Pueblo Police Department. Given
the challenges that we faced throughout 2015, I am extremely proud of their accomplishments in adding
value and in serving the citizens of this community.
Respectfully submitted,
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PUEBLO CITY COUNCIL
1
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF OF POLICE
2
DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL
Organization Chart
Personnel Profile
Rank and Classification
5
5
6
7
INDEX CRIMES
8
OPERATIONS BUREAU
Patrol Division
Beat Map
Calls for Service
Arrests
Community Policing
Manpower
Body-Worn Cameras
Traffic Section
Traffic Accidents and Fatalities
Hit and Run
Impounded / Abandoned / Towed Vehicles
Parking Enforcement
Inspections
Traffic Citations
DUI Enforcement
Red-Light Safety Camera Program
Click It or Ticket
Bicycle Patrol Unit
Crisis Intervention Team
Pueblo Law Enforcement Chaplain Corps
Peer Support Team
Arkansas Valley Crisis Support Team
9
9
10
11
11
12
14
14
15
15
16
16
16
16
17
17
17
18
19
19
20
21
21
INVESTIGATIONS BUREAU
Crimes against Persons Section
Registered Sex Offender Unit
Crime Stoppers Unit
Crimes against Property Section
Pawn Unit
Crime Analysis Unit
Special Victims Section
Internet Crimes against Children
High-Tech Crimes Unit
22
22
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
3
Domestic Violence Unit
Criminal Information Section
Narcotics Section
Impact of Marijuana Legislation
Drug Enforcement Administration Southern Colorado Drug Task Force
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Gun Task Force
Identification Section
Pueblo Metro Bomb Squad
31
32
34
35
35
36
37
38
SERVICES BUREAU
2015 General Fund Appropriations
Internal Allocation of Funds
Training Section
School Resource Officer Section
Internal Affairs Section
Code Compliance Unit
Communications Center
Records Section
Property and Evidence Section
Fleet Services and Maintenance
Building Maintenance
Lo-Jack Program/LPR
Community Services Division
Public Relations, Public Information Officer and Social Media
Crime Prevention Unit
Volunteer Program
Policy Development
Accreditation
Tactical Services Group
Crisis Negotiation Team
Special Weapons and Tactics Team
Acknowledgements
40
41
41
43
46
48
50
51
54
55
57
57
58
59
59
60
61
62
62
63
63
63
65
4
DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL
Organization Chart
Chief of Police
Luis Velez
Operations Bureau
Deputy Chief Troy Davenport
Patrol Watch I
Captain Charlie Taylor
Patrol Watch II
Captain Eric Bravo
Investigations Bureau
Deputy Chief Andrew McLachlan
Services Bureau
Deputy Chief Michael Bennett
Bomb Squad
Administrative Services
Grant Management
Criminal Investigation Division
Captain Jeff Bodmer
SWAT/Crisis Negotiation
Crime Analysis Unit
Special Services Division
Captain Tom Rummel
Patrol Watch III
Captain Eric Bravo
Crimes Against Persons Section
Patrol Watch IV
Captain Chris Noeller
Crime Stoppers
Sex Offender Registration
Training Section
Traffic Section
Crimes Agains Property Section
Police Academy
Impounded Vehicles Unit
Pawn Unit
DUI Unit
Police Code Compliance
Support Services Division
Captain Brett Wilson
Hit and Run Unit
Parking Enforcement Unit
High-Tech Crimes Unit
Records Section
Special Investigation Division
Vacant
Fleet and Building Maintenance
Identification Section (CSI)
Narcotics Section
Captain Kenny Rider
Public Relations / PIO
BATFE Task Force
Crime Prevention Unit
DEA Task Force
Volunteer Program
Policy Development
Professional Accreditation
5
Age (Sworn Personnel)
Number of Sworn Personnel
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
21-25
26-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
46-50
51-55
56-60
61-65
Age
Average age of sworn personnel: 41 years*
*Based on actual staffing
Years of Service (Sworn Personnel)
Number of Sworn Personnel
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
<1
1-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21-25
26-30
31-35
Years
Average years of service of sworn personnel: 12 years*
*Based on actual staffing
6
Ethnicity (Sworn Personnel)
Gender (Sworn Personnel)
Black
1.5%
12%
Hispanic
26.7%
White
69.7%
Female
Male
Alaska Native/
American Indian
1.5%
Asian/Pacific
Islander
0.5%
88%
Rank and Classification
Division of Sworn Personnel
by Rank*
120
140
100
120
80
100
60
80
40
60
20
40
200
0
110
115
51
55
24
1
1
Chief
Chief
7
25
3
8
3
Deputy
Captain Sergeant Corporal
Chief
Deputy
Captain Sergeant Corporal
Chief*Based on actual staffing strength
Patrol
Officer
Patrol
Officer
Sworn vs. Civilian
24%
Civilian
Sworn
76%
7
INDEX CRIMES
Robberies
Homicides
220
20
16
12
13
11
13
188
174
160
2
4
186
174
180
7
8
199
200
140
0
2011
2012
2013
2014
2011
2015
Aggravated Assaults
2012
2013
2014
2015
Forcible Rapes
800
250
607
600
491
448
441
494
188
200
151
400
150
200
100
166
131
107
0
50
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2011
Burglaries
2,200
2,000
1,800
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
1,827
1,930
1,629
2011
2012
2013
2014
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
4,707
2011
2015
2014
2012
2013
4,531
663
485
528
4,046
2014
2015
60
36
37
2014
2015
51
43
800
2015
Arsons
899
1,000
5,115
3,961
Motor Vehicle Thefts
600
2013
Larcenies/Thefts
1,972
1,764
2012
40
527
28
20
400
0
200
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2011
2012
2013
8
OPERATIONS BUREAU
The Pueblo Police Department Operations Bureau consists of the Patrol Division, Traffic
Section, Pueblo Law Enforcement Chaplain Corps, Crisis Intervention Team, Honor
Guard and Peer Support Team. The Operations Bureau is overseen by Deputy Chief
Troy Davenport. Captain Charlie Taylor, who oversaw Watch I, transferred to the Special
Services Division in early 2016. He was replaced by Captain Tom Rummel who was
overseeing the Special Services Division. The leadership in the Operations Bureau
during 2015 was as follows: Operations Bureau Chief - Deputy Chief Troy Davenport,
Watch Commander for Watch I - Charlie Taylor, Watch Commander for Watches II and
III - Captain Eric Bravo, Watch Commander for Watch IV - Captain Chris Noeller,
Sergeant for the Traffic Section - Sergeant Howard “Kevin” Jackson.
Patrol Division
The Patrol Division
and the officers
who work in patrol
are
the
most
recognized agents
of the City of
Pueblo and the
Pueblo
Police
Department. They
are the uniformed
personnel
who
respond to initial
reports of crime
and perform the
initial investigations
that set the tone for
the success of a case. The officers respond to a plethora of issues that include, but are
not limited to, order maintenance and community service efforts, crime and disturbance
reports, traffic accidents and runaway juveniles. When a citizen in Pueblo needs help
with almost any issue, it is the Police Department he/she calls and the uniformed patrol
officer who responds.
These services are delivered by 83 patrol officers who were supervised by 12 sergeants.
The Traffic Section had seven officers assigned; there are six vacancies. Traffic and
patrol officers provided twenty-four hour service to the citizens of Pueblo, and patrolled
the forty-six (46) square miles of the City of Pueblo.
9
The City of Pueblo is broken down into four quadrants. The “Quadrant System” was
adopted in June 2011 aligning quadrant boundaries with the intent to spread the work
load more evenly among assigned officers thus creating more time for community policing
efforts as well as directed patrol.
Beat Map
10
Calls for Service
During 2015, there were 122,031 police related calls for service received by the
Communications Center as compared to 120,090 calls in 2014. This call load is an
increase of 1,941. The majority of these calls were handled by the Operations Bureau
while some of those calls were dealt with by differential dispatch. Differential dispatching
is a method in which citizens can still receive service for non-emergency reports or
concerns, however, the call and related report may be made by the citizen at their
convenience via the internet (a system known at P2C), making a report with a clerk or
scheduling an appointment with an officer at a later time when priority calls for service are
lower. Calls for service in 2015 resulted in 26,176 case reports compared to 24,291 in
2014.
Case Report Numbers Generated
(By Year)
Calls for Service (By Year)
130,000
27,000
125,000
120,000
120,090
122,031
26,000
116,480
26,176
25,324
25,000
115,000
24,291
24,000
110,000
23,000
105,000
2013
2014
2013
2015
2014
2015
Arrests
Arrests are one measure of productivity for a law enforcement agency. Officers assigned
to the Operations Bureau are encouraged to take investigations as far as possible and
make arrests if that would solve a problem. Additionally, patrol officers are writing arrest
warrants and search warrants in higher numbers and often walk the arrest warrants
through to a judge so that when and if an identified suspect is contacted, that individual
can be taken into custody thus making the community safer. In 2015, there were 3,942
arrests made by the officers assigned to the Operations Bureau compared to 3,574 in
2014.
Total Arrests (By Year)
Arrests by Bureau
4% 3%
2015
Investigations
Bureau
4,254
2014
3,971
2013
3,500
Services
Bureau
93%
3,752
3,700
3,900
Operations
Bureau
4,100
4,300
11
Community Policing
While arrests are important, they are only one tool for delivering service to the community.
Community connectedness is crucial for a modern department. To that the end, in 2015
the Operations Bureau worked on making those connections with the community in a
variety of Community Policing efforts. Officers were encouraged to get out of their cars
whenever possible and simply engage citizens in conversation as well as visiting youth
organizations on a regular basis. The following are some good examples of projects
undertaken by the different Watches as well as efforts by individual officers:
1. Wolf Village
2. Hotel/Motel Corridor on N.
Elizabeth and Highway 50
3. 1800 E Routt
4. 1300 E Beulah
5. Value Stay
6. Mesa Gardens Apartments
7. Bethlehem Square Apartments
8. Roadway Inn
9. 1700 Block E 17th
10. The business district between
Jerry Murphy and Constitution
and 21st and Norwood
11. 1600 Block of E 13th
12. The Draft Bar
13. 600-800 Block E 4th
14. Sangre de Cristo Apartments
15. Skateboard Park at 6th and Erie
•
•
•
•
The Walk-a-Mile in Her Shoes campaign for the Pueblo Rape Crisis
Center (raising over $5000)
Several officers donated money to local needy families for Christmas gifts and
holiday food baskets.
Officers dug into their own pockets on numerous occasions replacing stolen
bicycles, repairing damaged property and helping shovel snow for elderly
citizens.
In February of 2015, officers raised money for food items and arranged to fix the
door for a family on the south side who had their home repeatedly broken into
and were fearful.
Numerous officers are involved in supporting Special Olympics to include the
“Torch Run”, “Tip-a-Cop” and other fund raisers.
12
Officer Zach Ballas particpating in Heros and Helpers event during Christmas season of 2015.
•
•
•
Officers donated time and money to support the Chaplains Corps.
Officers donated time and money toward police firing range improvements.
Officers donated time, money and toys to children in need.
Officers serve their country in the military, and they serve their community via participation
on boards, to include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
United States Military Reserves
o Officers have been deployed in support of the “Global War on Terrorism”
Board of Directors Pueblo Police Athletic League
Board of Directors Pueblo Rape Crisis Center
Little League Baseball (coaching)
Presentations to day care centers and mentoring at youth centers
Board of Directors Drive Smart
Board of Directors Pueblo Child Advocacy Center
Board of Directors Community Corrections
Rotary Club
The officers who serve our community in the Operations Bureau are committed to
providing the best service possible to our city. They are committed in a variety of ways,
both on the job and off. We will continue to strive to reduce crime, the fear of crime and
increase confidence in our city.
13
Manpower
Manpower in the Operations Bureau is always a concern, and 2015 was no exception.
Manpower is constantly monitored via workload analyses. A great deal of effort is spent
making sure we are using the available manpower efficiently. The Patrol Division works
four, ten-hour shifts. Patrol manpower is allocated by shift based on a workload study
that relies on tracking the number of calls for service by time of day. The number of calls
for service by time of day is monitored throughout the year. Patrol and Traffic Section
shifts overlap from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. in order to provide the best manpower that
current resources allow. Please see the chart below:
2015 CALLS FOR SERVICE
BY TIME OF DAY
Highest Volume of Calls
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Police response time is prioritized based on active or past threats to life and property. The
table below depicts the average response time by the Pueblo Police Department.
Average Response Time by Priority Level*
Priority
Level
1
2
3
4
5
6
Priority Designation
Calls Involving Weapons or Exigent Threat to Life
Threats to Persons In Progress
Threats to Persons Just Occurred
Threats to Property In Progress
Threats to Property Just Occurred
Persons Crimes Reports
hh:mm:ss
00:13:47
00:21:39
00:28:27
01:07:57
00:53:14
01:17:32
*Changing circumstances sometimes cause calls for service to be reprioritized, which can affect response times. Additionally, some
calls for service dramatically skew the average response times for various priority levels. For example, a call for service for a suspicious
device in another jurisdiction (which is a priority level one call for service) may take several hours (i.e., officer call-out, gathering
equipment, travel time, etc.).
Body-Worn Cameras
On January 19, 2015 the first body-worn cameras were issued to officers and are in
service. In September of 2015, the body-worn camera project was extended to include
sergeants, School Resource Officers and Code Enforcement Officers as well as
increasing the Department’s storage capability to unlimited. In 2015, officers created
53,746 videos. Many of these recordings included powerful evidence for use in court,
exonerated officers when complaints were filed and provided opportunities for
improvement and coaching. The vast majority of the time they showed our officers doing
a great job under some of the most difficult circumstances.
14
Traffic Section
The responsibilities of the Traffic Section relate to motor vehicle safety in the City of
Pueblo and include DUI enforcement, speed enforcement, vehicle crash investigation,
seatbelt enforcement, parking enforcement (including handicapped parking), abandoned
or impounded vehicle enforcement, commercial motor vehicle enforcement, and vehicle
identification number (VIN) inspections. The Traffic Section is involved in numerous public
education activities targeted at promoting safe driving behavior. The Traffic Section also
performs parade and funeral duties.
In 2015, the Traffic Section employed seven sworn officers, one clerk, one full-time
parking enforcer, and two part-time parking enforcers. One sergeant supervised the
Traffic Section. In 2015, one officer was on light-duty and injury leave in excess of 60
days.
The sworn personnel were assigned as follows:
•
•
•
•
Three assigned to accident investigations and selective enforcement
One assigned to DUI enforcement
Two assigned to the Hit and Run Unit
One assigned to the Impounded Vehicles Unit
Traffic Crashes/Fatalities
The Pueblo Police Department handled 3,741 accident reports in 2015, an overall
decrease of 8.2% compared to 2014 (4,075).
The Traffic Section investigated 1,271 traffic accidents in 2015, which represents 34% of
the total number of accidents. Six percent (229) of these accidents were injury accidents.
There were four fatal accidents in 2015, a 56% decrease over 2014. One of these fatal
accidents was an auto-pedestrian accident, which remains the same as 2014 for that
category. Alcohol and/or drugs were a factor in three of the fatality accidents, a 40%
decrease over 2014. The number of fatal accidents is at the lowest point in ten years.
Fatal Traffic Accidents (By Year)
Traffic Accidents (By Year)
12
4,200
4,075
10
3,982
Crashes
8
4,000
Fatalities
6
3,800
3,741
Alcohol/Drug
Related
4
2
0
3,600
2013
2014
2015
2013
2014
2015
15
Hit and Run
In 2015, 906 hit-and-run accidents were reported to the Pueblo Police Department, which
represents a 10% increase from the number reported in 2014. Of the 906 reported hitand-runs, 261 (29%) were cleared by arrest/issued a citation, or referred to the District
Attorney’s Office for review.
Impounded/ Abandoned/Towed Vehicles
The Pueblo Police Department towed 2,767 vehicles in 2015, an increase of roughly 35%
over 2014. Although the vast majority of the towed vehicles were released to their
owners, 650 vehicles went unclaimed. Correspondence was sent to the last registered
owners of the unclaimed vehicles. As a result of this correspondence, 236 vehicles were
released to their owners and 414 were sold.
One reason for the increase
was a program implemented
to help curb the number of
uninsured and unregistered
vehicles on the streets of
Pueblo. This resulted in the
removal of 426 vehicles for
only the reason of no
insurance
(401)
or
unregistered (25) vehicle.
This does not include
vehicles that were uninsured
or unregistered that were
involved in accidents.
Inspections
Traffic Section investigates a major accident on I-25
The officers assigned to the Traffic Section completed 65 vehicle identification number
(VIN) inspections on various types of vehicles in 2015, an 11% decrease from 2014. The
Pueblo Police Department no longer has a certified commercial vehicle inspector.
Parking Enforcement
One full-time and two-part time parking enforcers issued 5,984 citations for various types
of parking violations in 2015. This is a 12% decrease over the same period in 2014. As
in the past, the parking enforcers were assigned to 124 hours of directed parking
enforcement during all 11 days of the Colorado State Fair. The parking enforcers were
assigned to the neighborhoods surrounding the Colorado State Fairgrounds for four hours
every evening and eight hours on weekends. During 2014, there were three parking
enforcement officers for the majority of the year. There is money in the budget in 2016 for
the addition of one additional part-time parking enforcer.
16
Traffic Citations
The Traffic Section issued 2,982 traffic citations in 2015, an approximate decrease of 20%
from 2014. This represents 52% of the 5,739 total traffic citations issued by the Pueblo
Police Department.
Department-wide, the number of citations issued fell by
approximately a 15% from 2014. Many of the traffic citations issued were generated by
selective enforcement conducted in response to citizen complaints.
DUI Enforcement
A total of 327 DUI arrests were made in 2015, a 13.5% decrease from 2014. The average
blood alcohol content (BAC) of those arrested for the year was 0.149. The Traffic Section
made 231 (71%) of the total DUI arrests. Thirty-four (10.4%) of the DUI arrests were for
marijuana.
The Police Department Traffic Section received 11 CDOT DUI enforcement grants
totaling $35,500.00, up 109% from 2014. The grants enabled officers to work 414.5 hours
of overtime DUI enforcement. Traffic officers accounted for 225.5 hours, 54% of the total
hours. Officers otherwise contributed 904 hours of regular duty hours to DUI
enforcement. This reflects a 72% decrease in man hours dedicated to DUI enforcement
from 2014.
Alcohol and drug impaired drivers caused:
•
•
•
119 accidents in 2015, a 25% decrease from 2014.
o 58 property damage accidents
o 58 injury accidents
o 3 fatal accidents
Of the impaired drivers, 67% were male and 33% were female.
In addition, 31 impaired drivers were underage.
Red-Light
Program
Safety
Camera
The Pueblo Police Department
operated three red-light enforcement
cameras at three intersections in
Pueblo in 2015. There were 6,622
events recorded resulting in 5,642
penalty assessments mailed to
violators in 2015, which represents a
16.5% increase from 2014. The RedLight Camera Program is designed to
promote safety and not as a revenuegenerating program.
Red-Light Safety Cameras
6,622
7,000
6,000
5,642
5,778
5,298
4,825
5,000
4,000
3,000
Total Events
Citations Issued
2,453
2,000
1,000
0
2013
2014
2015
17
CDOT Grant to Reduce Traffic Related Fatalities
Due to the unusually high number of traffic related fatalities in 2014, the Pueblo Police
Department sought and received a grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation
(CDOT) to aid with enforcement efforts. The 2015 grant allowed for the purchase of two
additional laser speed detection devices. It also provided for overtime to put additional
officers on the street to conduct speed enforcement. Traffic fatalities decreased to four
in 2015 from ten in 2014.
Over the latest 12 month period of the grant, officers performed 211.5 hours of additional
enforcement and wrote 378 citations. This accounted for approximately 7% of the total
citations written department-wide in 2015.
In October of 2015, the Pueblo Police Department was again awarded $38,616.00
through this grant. It provides for approximately 730 hours of overtime to increase speed
enforcement throughout the community.
Click It or Ticket
The Pueblo Police Department participated in the 2015 May
Mobilization & Night Time “Click It or Ticket” Campaigns.
During a three week period, officers on overtime concentrated
on the enforcement of seat belt laws. As a result of this
campaign, 130 hours of enforcement resulted in the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
47 citations for various seat belt violations, a decrease
of 50% from 2014
221 citations issued for speeding
34 citations issued for no insurance
15 citations issued for suspended or no driver license
35 citations for other offenses
6 arrests, 3 for DUI
Recovery of 1 stolen vehicle
18
Bicycle Patrol Unit
The mission of the Bicycle Patrol Unit is to
provide service in areas of the City of Pueblo
normally difficult to patrol by vehicle, make
police officers more easily approachable, and
enhance the mobility and range of officers in
an urban environment.
The Bicycle Patrol Unit had a total of 13
bicycles in 2015, all of which were immediately
available for patrol work.
During the summer of 2015, bicycle patrol was
used for special events in the downtown area.
Many of those contacted were excited about
seeing police patrolling on bicycles. This was
a positive contact with the community that may
not have been possible using a patrol car.
Bicycle patrol was also used for special
purposes, such as in areas where numerous
thefts from vehicles had been reported.
Officer Stephen Biggs
Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT)
The mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, developmentally disabled, suicidal, and persons
who otherwise suffer from any form of mental disability can pose a significant challenge
to police officers. Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) gives police officers new strategies and
tools for identifying and de-escalating crisis calls involving these individuals. CIT
decreases arrest and injury rates for people in crisis, increases officer and citizen safety,
and enhances public involvement in law enforcement efforts.
The CIT program originated in Memphis, Tennessee in 1988, and was implemented in
Colorado in 2002. The Pueblo Regional CIT Coalition was formed in 2006 to provide
local training to officers from the Pueblo Police Department, Pueblo County Sheriff’s
Office, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Department of Corrections, Colorado Division of
Parks and Recreation, Colorado Mental Health Institute Public Safety, as well as
neighboring law enforcement agencies. Officers are required to complete a rigorous 40hour training course to receive CIT certification. The course work includes lectures
presented by mental health and law enforcement professionals, group discussions with
mental health consumers, and role-plays with professional actors. The Coalition is
directed by Lieutenant Sandy Purkett and Sergeant Brain Smith of the Pueblo County
Sheriff’s Office, and Sergeants Steve Etienne and Frank Ortega of the Pueblo Police
Department.
19
Two CIT training classes were
held in 2015, with eight Pueblo
Police Department officers
receiving CIT certification of the
28 students who graduated. A
total of 115 officers, including
supervisors, command staff,
and chaplains are currently CIT
certified. Training is ongoing
with a goal of all sworn
members of the Pueblo Police
Department becoming CIT
certified.
In 2015, the Pueblo Police
Department responded to 925
CIT training
suicidal person calls, compared
to 878 in 2014; and 266
attempted suicide calls, compared to 282 in 2014. Of those calls, 70 referrals were made
in 2015, compared to 32 in 2014. Health Solution’s Mobile Early Intervention Service
Program has seen a continuous increase in its usage. This special unit allows officers to
call upon professional mental health personnel to deal with individuals who are in a precrisis stage and follow-ups are done on referrals through the CIT-RMS reporting system.
The
Chaplain
Corps
provided 24 hour a day/7
day a week coverage for
the 23rd consecutive year.
The mission of the Corp is
simple
and
straight
forward.
The Corps
exists to support the
Pueblo
Police
Department and their
needs. In addition to
responding for the Pueblo
Police Department, the
Chaplains Corp increased
the number of responses
for the Pueblo County
2015 Shield of Faith Motorcycle Run
Sherriff’s Office and the
Pueblo Fire Department. The Corp established a mutual aid relationship with the
Walsenburg Police Department and performed three debriefings including one in
Springfield, Colorado, one in Rocky Ford, Colorado and one in Trinidad, Colorado. The
chaplains facilitated two crisis intervention debriefings for our own Department. Never in
20
the history of the Corp has there been the incredible outpouring of support that was
experienced in 2015. Community support was strong and the Pueblo Chieftain did an
excellent article which spurred even further giving. However, the efforts of the officers
involved in the 6th annual Shield of Faith Motorcycle Run deserve a special mention.
Through hard work, they secured 54 motorcycle sponsors and over 75 participants. In
all, the net proceeds of the Shield of Faith Motorcycle Run added over $3,200 to the
Chaplains Fund.
Peer Support
Organized in 2000, the Peer Support Team is part of the Pueblo Police Department’s
comprehensive response to officer-involved incidents. Officers and civilian employees
are trained as peer counselors and work in conjunction with the department psychologist.
The Team conducted 65 informal peer counseling session during 2015. The team
members also respond to critical incidents at the request of the officer involved or the
Incident Commander. The Team is an intricate part of the response effort as provided
under the 10th Judicial District’s Officer-Involved Incident Protocol. Team members
provide emotional first aid to the officers and their families during the initial stages and
recovery period following critical incidents. The Peer Support Team has nine members
including one team coordinator.
Team members include Sergeant Steve Etienne (coordinator), Sergeant Dusty Dodge,
Sergeant Greg Bowen, Corporal Glen Fillmore, Corporal Chad Jeffries, Corporal Melissa
Jacober, Officer David Jacober, Dispatch Manager Laura Wittrup and Emergency
Services Dispatch Supervisor Kim Jeffries.
Arkansas Valley Crisis Support Team
Formed in 1988, the Arkansas Valley Crisis Support Team is
sponsored by the Pueblo Police Department and the Pueblo
County Sheriff’s Office. The Team consists of volunteers from
law enforcement, fire, and mental health. The organization
serves the Pueblo area and surrounding communities by
providing debriefings, defusings, and education in the areas of
Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). The Team
responds to critical incidents involving any government agency
and non-profit organizations. The Team is also available for any
critical incident that may come under the auspices of the 10th
Judicial District’s Officer-Involved Incident Protocol. The Team
responded to three debriefings in 2015. The Team Chairman is
Sergeant Steve Etienne.
21
INVESTIGATIONS BUREAU
The Investigations Bureau of the Pueblo Police Department consists of the Criminal
Investigation Division and the Special Investigation Division. The Investigations Bureau
is led by Deputy Chief Andrew McLachlan. During 2015, Captain Jeff Bodmer was in
command of both the Criminal Investigation Division and the Special Investigation
Division. Within the Criminal Investigation Division are the following specialized sections:
Crimes against Persons Section, Crimes against Property Section and Special Victims
Section. Within the Special Investigation Division are the following sections: Criminal
Information Section, Narcotics Section and Identification Section. In addition to the
aforementioned full-time functions, the Bomb Squad also falls under the command of the
Investigations Bureau.
Crimes Against Persons Section
The detectives assigned to the Crimes against Persons Section are responsible for the
investigation of crimes committed against persons, such as: murders, aggravated
assaults, robberies, sexual assaults, threats, harassment, missing persons, kidnappings
and unnatural deaths. Also under the Crimes against Persons Section are the Sex
Offender and Crime Stoppers Units.
The
Crimes
against Persons
Section
is
supposed to be
comprised
of
one sergeant,
eight detectives,
and one civilian
clerk. Due to
budget
constraints, the
Section
has
been downsized
to
seven
detectives,
which includes
the
detective
responsible for
the
Crime From left to right: Detective Cory Purvis, Detective Neal Robinson, Detective Glen Fillmore,
Senior Clerk Rebecca Dierksen, Detective Cody Wager, Detective Gabriel Maldonado,
Stoppers
and
Detective Jeff Shay and Sergeant Ken Espinoza.
Sex
Offender
Units.
The
Section is short an additional position due to an opening which came into play as a
detective in the unit decided to return to patrol duties. The detectives and the sergeant
who are currently assigned to the Crimes against Persons Section have approximately
140 years of combined police experience.
22
The Crimes against Persons Section investigated a total of 160 cases in 2015. The City
had 13 homicides in 2015. In addition to the homicides, the Section participated in the
investigation of an officer-involved shooting which ended in a fatality. This case has since
been ruled to be justified as per the District Attorney. Out of the eleven homicides
investigated by the Crimes against Persons Section, seven cases were solved and four
cases were still being investigated as of the drafting of this report.
The following is a list of substantial or significant incidents investigated by the Crimes
against Persons Section in 2015. This is by no means all the cases the unit worked, just
incidents where an abundance of time and resources were used by the Department.
These incidents tend to put a strain to the Department’s budget as working these type
events call for many man hours and overtime.
•
•
•
•
On January 8, 2015, the Crimes Against Persons Section began an investigation of as many
as 13 robberies that were likely linked by a common suspect. The Crimes Against Persons
Section developed a plan to saturate areas according to timeframes and history of the
offender. In doing so, an attempt at making contact with a subject who matched the
description of the suspect resulted in a vehicle pursuit and capture of the subject. After an
interview and investigation, the subject turned out to be a better prospect than the original
suspect. Out of the 13 robberies that fit the description, the detectives believed that 7 of them
could be matched to the captured suspect, Richard Licon. Further investigation later revealed
Licon was not the suspect, and a party by the name of Daniel Keller was found to be the serial
robber. Keller confessed to all the robberies with which Licon had been charged. The District
Attorney’s Office was made aware of this development and an arrest was made.
On February 6, 2015 at 10:26 p.m., officers were sent to Parkview Medical Center on a
shooting victim who had been dropped off at the entrance. Officers were told when they
arrived that a vehicle pulled into the driveway and a male was taken out of the car and placed
on the ground, where a nurse started emergency rescue attempts. The driver and other
occupants then drove off. It was found that the victim of the shooting had one gunshot wound
to the chest and was identified as Carlos Perea. The Crimes Against Persons Section was
summoned and was able to locate and question those who were around and possibly had
information. The occupants of the vehicle that the victim was in, the friends he was with prior
to the shooting and other witnesses were questioned. Perea was a known gang member, and
witnesses who were with him were reluctant to cooperate. One of the witnesses was later
charged with murder. The investigation is ongoing.
On July 29, 2015, officers responded to 603 Moffat on a fire. When the officers arrived, they
were told that the reporting party had discovered her mother’s body on fire. The body was
that of Susan Hernandez, an elderly female who was bludgeoned and then set on fire in her
basement. Investigation determined that the suspect was the victim’s grandson, Anthony
Sena, who was arrested for 1st degree murder.
On November 10, 2015, officers were sent to the McDonalds on Hwy 50 West on a shooting,
where James Apodaca was shot due to him cooperating with police on the prior homicide of
Rick Muniz in September. The victim was able to provide the names of two people in the car,
which lead to investigation and warrants being written. Two of the subjects fled to Texas
where they were involved in an incident in Dumas, Texas. Texas investigators called and
related who they had and why and they were placed into custody on the Texas charges.
Detectives went there to interview them and were able to gather enough information for an
arrest warrant on Joseph Sosa. Sosa was located and arrested.
23
•
On December 14,
2015,
officers
responded
to
Bruner Park - also
known as Triangle
Park - located at
the intersection of
Veta and Van
Buren on a shots
fired call.
As
officers
arrived,
they had reports
of several shots
being fired, cars
leaving at high
rates of speed
and
people
running. It was
later discovered
that a young male
named
Elijah
Aguila had been
Crimes against Persons detectives work a crime scene.
shot in the head
and transported to a hospital by friends. Investigation revealed that a male named Dominik
Jaramillo, who was a gang associate, was the shooter. An arrest warrant was made.
The detectives assigned to the Crimes Against Persons Section have a goal of solving all
of their cases, and they work diligently to bring some sense of closure to the families
affected by the crimes they investigate.
Registered Sex Offender Unit
The Registered Sex Offender Unit consists of one part-time detective and one full-time
clerk. The clerk is responsible for managing the files for over 500 registered sex offenders
(RSOs) in the City of Pueblo and uploading the information to CBI. The detective
investigates RSOs who are out of compliance, conducts address verifications, and deals
with any issues regarding RSOs. The detective conducts all community notifications and
media releases regarding Sexually Violent Predators (SVPs). The detective works
closely with Parole and Probation in monitoring the RSOs and is directly involved with
several boards and task force teams that deal with RSOs throughout the region including:
•
•
•
•
Colorado Sex Offender Management Board Member (including 2 sub-committees)
US Marshals/Colorado Adam Walsh Task Force
Southern Colorado Sex Offender Task Force (Chairman)
Metro Sex Crimes Committee Member
24
Registered Sex Offender Unit Production 2015
Criminal Investigations
Address Verifications
Sexually Violent Predator Community Notifications
37
540
22
Crime Stoppers Unit
The Crime Stoppers Unit consists of one part-time detective
who is responsible for processing and routing the tips that come
in via the Pueblo Crime Stoppers telephone line, website, text
and smart phone application. The detective works closely with
radio, television, newspaper and other local media to get felony
crime stories publicized to assist the Pueblo Police Department,
Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol and other
agencies. The detective also works in conjunction with the
Pueblo Crime Stoppers Board of Directors in coordinating very
successful fundraisers and events which are the main source
of revenue for the Pueblo Crime Stoppers program. The Crime
Stoppers program is vital to solving felony crimes committed in
Pueblo County as well as around the country.
Detective Jeff Shay
Crime Stoppers Unit
Accomplishments 2015
Tips Received
1,936
Arrests
84
Cases Cleared
146
Rewards Paid
$8,620
Property Recovered
$25,035
Pueblo Crime Stoppers Statistics from Inception (1983)
through December 31, 2015
Arrests - 2,268
Cases Cleared - 3,231
Homicides Cleared - 22
Rewards Paid - $245,790
Property Recovered - $11,198,392
Narcotics Seized - $14,118,575
25
Crimes Against Property Section
The Crimes Against Property Section is responsible for investigating property-related
crimes that occur in the City of Pueblo including but not limited to: theft, auto theft, theft
from vehicles, burglary, trespassing, copper/metal theft, property damage, identity theft,
financial exploitation of at-risk adult, forgery, counterfeiting, white-collar crimes and arson
investigations.
The Crimes Against Property Section is also responsible for the monitoring, regulation,
and inspection of all local pawnshops, second-hand, and precious metal dealers. All
transactions are documented and the data is either electronically transmitted or manually
entered into a police database by an investigations technician who then compares the
items against reported stolen property. This procedure has led to the recovery of
$67,557.00 worth of stolen property and the investigation of 92 crimes in 2015.
From left to right: Senior Clerk Jenna Ingo, Detective Gerald LeRay, Detective Brandon Colbert, Detective Mathieu
Cantin, Sergeant Mark Duran, Detective Shane Pope, Detective Matt Herrera, Crime Analyst Kelli Magann, Detective
Kenneth Rhodes, Investigations Technician Melinda Vigil and Detective Donnie Lambert.
In 2015, completed burglaries declined slightly compared to 2014. As in years past,
several cases involved multiple burglaries committed by the same suspects. By
implementing the procedure of charging thieves who have been trespassed from a
merchant with 2nd Degree Burglary, 67 cases were referred to the District Attorney’s Office
in 2015.
Larcenies continued to decline in 2015. Many merchants have been utilizing the online
reporting system (P2C), reducing officer responses to theft from merchant calls. Theft
remains the highest reported offense in the Crimes Against Property Section with valuable
electronics being especially targeted.
There was one additional incident of arson in 2015 compared to 2014. Primary arson
investigator, Detective Kenneth Rhodes, coordinated with patrol officers and the Pueblo
Fire Department on various investigations.
26
Motor vehicle theft has been a prevalent problem in Pueblo for several years, and 2015
saw the largest percentage increase in reported auto thefts in the past five years.
However, approximately 90% of stolen vehicles were recovered and nearly 33% of motor
vehicle theft reports were referred to the District Attorney’s Office, either incident to arrest,
with probable cause for a warrant, or requesting review for charging. As usual, there
were several suspects involved in multiple auto thefts.
Counterfeit reports were higher in 2015, primarily due to a large operation involving
counterfeit bills and fraudulent checks that began circulating in July of 2015. Although
nearly 80 bills have been seized, it is likely some bills - especially $20s, $50s, and $100s
- are still in circulation.
The following are just a few examples of notable cases the Crimes Against Property
Section investigated in 2015:
•
•
•
•
In September of 2015, after a six-month investigation, Detective Donnie Lambert
requested the charges of Theft: $20,000 or More, Theft from an At-Risk Adult, Forgery,
and Identity Theft against Kimberly Reese. Formerly a bank teller, Reese was discovered
to have stolen money from her cash drawer, as well as withdrawn money from customer
accounts, to support her drug addiction.
Detective Shane Pope began investing a theft in November of 2015. A jewelry store, now
out of business, had kept or sold thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and other valuables
that had either been consigned or entrusted to the business to repair. Twelve victims have
come forward in the case, which was nearly concluded as of the drafting of this report.
In another case of teller theft, Detective Gerald LeRay requested charges against Dionicia
Cruz. Detective LeRay obtained a full confession from Cruz regarding stealing money
from her cash drawer. Cruz received an initial charge of Theft $2,000 - $5,000, though
court proceedings are still in progress. Additionally, Detective LeRay is the primary
investigator of Financial Exploitation of At-Risk Adult, an offense newly absorbed by
Crimes Against Property. In 2015, the Crimes Against Property Section received 57
notifications from the Department of Social Services – Adult Protection. Of these, 38
cases were reviewed as criminal while 19 were deemed non-criminal. Four cases were
sent to the District Attorney’s Office.
Throughout 2015, Detective Brandon Colbert investigated numerous cases of motor
vehicle theft. Notably, several related cases resulted in the arrest of Edward Cordova,
who was stealing vehicles and “stripping” them in the backyard of his residence.
Pawn Unit
The Pawn Unit of the Crimes Against Property Section performs several important
functions. Among the most vital is the uploading of pawned item information into the
Department’s computer database. The computerized system then cross-references
items that have been reported stolen against the database and alerts the user of any
matches, or “hits.” Upon being notified of a hit, a detective will secure the pawned
property and initiate an investigation. This instrumental process is very time consuming
and the Investigations Technician works full-time keeping up with entries.
27
In 2015, there were 157,457 items pawned in the City of Pueblo. 153,583 pawned items
were uploaded into the database automatically while an additional 3,874 pawned items
were entered manually. Detectives investigated 92 cases involving pawned items in
2015. Detective Shane Pope led the majority of investigations, and has developed strong
cooperative relationships with local pawnshops. The total value of recovered items was
nearly $68,000.
Pawn Activity (By Year)
180,000
160,000
140,000
Items Pawned in Pueblo
120,000
100,000
80,000
Items Automatically
Uploaded
60,000
Items Entered by Hand
40,000
20,000
0
2013
2014
2015
Crime Analysis Unit
After five years broadening her professional horizons, Crime Analyst Kelli Magann
returned to the Pueblo Police Department in 2015. During that time, she earned her
Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University. Her skill and accuracy in
creating statistical reports is instrumental in evaluating how the Department can address
crime trends based on nature, location, demographics, spatial and temporal analysis, and
other factors.
Crime Analyst Kelli Magann
28
The Special Victims Section is tasked with investigating a myriad of cases. The detectives
assigned to the Special Victims Section are responsible for investigating crimes against
persons identified as “special victims”, which include child abuse, child sex abuse, at risk
adults, the elderly and those with a developmental disability. To that end, the detectives
assigned to this section ensure that all victims are treated with dignity and respect. The
detectives of the Special Victims Section ensure that each of the cases investigated by
the unit receives a professional and thorough investigation that lead to successful
prosecutions. A total of one sergeant, who also supervises the High Tech Crimes Unit,
the Domestic Violence Unit and the Internet Crimes against Children Unit, four detectives
and a senior clerk are assigned to this highly specialized section.
The
detectives
assigned
to
the
Special
Victims
Section work the
cases
involving
“special victims” as
defined above. Due
to the nature of these
cases, there are
many
times
the
detectives must work
closely with other law
enforcement
agencies and outside
entities in order to
complete
a
full
investigation.
The
From left to right: Detective Nolan Welsh, Detective Dianna Rodriguez, Detective Rich
Reyes, Senior Clerk Peggy Logan, Detective Nicole Olonia, Sergeant Brad Unger and other entities include
Detective Mike Slattery.
Department of Social
Services, Pueblo Child Advocacy Center and healthcare facilities. In 2015, the detectives
from the Special Victims Section worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the
United States Marshal Service.
In 2015, the Special Victims Section reviewed 1,771 cases taken by the Patrol Division,
of which 321 were assigned to a detective for further follow up investigation. Most of
these cases involved sex assaults on children, child abuse and even a homicide. Major
cases that the Special Victims Section worked extensively on in 2015 included several
baby and infant deaths, and several cases of aggravated sexual assaults on children.
29
•
•
•
•
One sexual assault on a child in a position of trust case began with a phone call
from an investigator in the United Kingdom. The investigation revealed that a 6year-old child had been sexually assaulted numerous times over at least a three
year period. Detectives took custody of the child and two arrests were made.
The Patrol Division responded to an unresponsive 2-year-old who was found
deceased by the mother’s boyfriend. Investigation revealed a pending child abuse
case involving this child. The investigation of the case continued as of the drafting
of the report.
Detectives began an investigation into a missing adult. After several days of
investigation and obtaining a search warrant, detectives found the deceased body
of the victim in an apartment she shared with the suspect. Arrest warrants were
obtained and the suspect turned himself in several days later. As of the drafting
of this report, the case was continuing through the court process.
Detectives were involved in Operation Cross Country IX, a joint operation
conducted nationwide with the FBI and local authorities. The operation culminated
in the arrest of 16 suspected “Johns” as well as several prostitutes. Information
gathered during this operation was still being investigated as of the drafting of this
report in regards to human trafficking in other jurisdictions.
As in each of the aforementioned cases and many others, the detectives of the Special
Victims Section must coordinate with different jurisdictions and entities to conduct a
thorough investigation. The majority of the cases that are assigned to detectives in this
unit require extensive follow-up investigation and expertise, which these detectives carry
out on a regular basis.
Internet Crimes against Children Unit
The detective assigned to the Internet Crimes Against
Children Unit works online to identify and arrest sexual
predators who utilize the internet to meet children for the
purpose of sex. In the world today, sexual predators use
technology as a means of identifying and attracting victims,
and law enforcement must also use this technology and
adapt their tactics to keep up. The detective that works
these cases also uses computer forensics to obtain this
needed digital evidence as part of his dual role in being
assigned to the High Tech Crimes Unit.
Because of the technology involved, many times these cases cover great distances and
involve many other agencies, including the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, Parole and
Probation, among others. The detective in this unit coordinates with these other agencies
to engage in online talks with sexual predators. Through a series of online chats between
the detective and a sexual predator, a meeting between the “victim” and predator is
30
arranged. When the predator arrives for the meeting, they are taken into custody. If the
meeting is not arranged or the predator does not show, search warrants may be obtained
to identify the predator through their internet provider, IP address or social media sites.
High Tech Crimes Unit
The detective assigned to the Internet Crimes against Children Unit also provides dual
service in his capacity as the High Tech Crimes Unit detective. In this capacity, the
detective in this assignment assists every other unit within the Department as well as
outside agencies. This detective is highly trained in computer forensics and uses a variety
of computer hardware and software to gain evidence from cellular phones, computers,
tablets, as well as storage media. The detective assigned to this unit has assisted in
investigations stemming from homicides to sexual assaults to narcotics trafficking. The
High Tech Crimes Unit specializes in obtaining search warrants to retrieve digital
evidence from a variety of sources. The information is then shared with the requesting
unit or agency to assist in their investigation and to be used for prosecution purposes.
High-Tech Crimes Unit Production 2015
Items examined as requested from within Pueblo Police Department
Forensic examinations (may include multiple items)
Items examined as requested from outside agencies
Search warrants obtained and executed
Computers processed
Hard drives processed
External hard drives processed
Thumb drives processed
Digital cameras / memory cards processed
Cellular telephones / Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) processed
84
164
8
5
20
1
13
11
11
171
All crimes relating to domestic violence are handled by the Special Victims Section. The
detective assigned to this position completes follow-up investigations and develops
interagency cooperation with several entities including the District Attorney’s Office,
ACOVA, probation, the courts, federal law enforcement agencies, shelters, etc. A large
number of cases require additional interviews, photographs, witness/victim contacts,
court testimony and gathering of additional evidence.
There were 1,453 domestic violence-related cases sent to the Domestic Violence Unit in
2015. The offenses involved in these cases included from homicide, felony assaults,
property damage, felony stalking, protection order violations and sexual assaults.
31
The Criminal Information Section (CIS) is a support function that operates on behalf of
the entire Pueblo Police Department. The CIS gathers criminal information and
disseminates it throughout the Department as necessary. As of the close of 2015, there
was one detective assigned to the CIS who was supervised by the sergeant assigned to
the Narcotic Section.
This CIS detective was
recently assigned as a
Task Force Officer for
FBI Safe Streets Task
Force and in 2015 put
together a large “gang
street operation” in the
City of Pueblo.
There were numerous
agencies involved in
the
operation
that
Back tattoo of a known gang member.
included the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, Pueblo Police Department, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office,
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Colorado Department of
Corrections (Parole Division), Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement
Administration, the 10th Judicial District, and the Colorado State Patrol.
This was a two night operation in which 82 federal, state, and local authorities participated
on the first night and 65 federal, state, and local authorities participated in on the second
night. The goals of the operation were to contact, identify, and arrest criminal street gang
members.
Members of the operation conducted community surveys in targeted locations and
collected information on known criminals via Pueblo Police Department field contact
cards. Members of the operation also conducted “surprise” home visits of parolees known
to have gang ties or involvement and assisted with in-progress calls for service and known
trouble areas within the City of Pueblo.
Statistics from the Gang Street Operation
Self-initiated calls
Persons contacted and cleared
Case reports taken
Persons arrested
Stolen vehicles recovered
Guns Recovered
Narcotic cases taken
250+
249
33
47
4
2
5
32
The CIS also works with the other investigative elements of the Pueblo Police Department
and with numerous federal, state and county agencies on major investigations requiring
specialized assistance, high-tech surveillance or monitoring activities, and intelligence
support.
The CIS also provides logistical, technical and manpower support to the Narcotics Section
in major drug investigations, and to the Criminal Investigation Division in the ongoing
investigation of other major crimes.
During 2015, the CIS continued concentrating on violent street crimes and career
criminals. The CIS also continued its intensified focus on several community problems,
including graffiti (both gang graffiti and “tagger” graffiti), active criminal enterprises,
wanted fugitives and emerging crime problems.
In fulfilling his function as the Pueblo Police Department’s gang intelligence liaison, the
CIS detective conducted investigations of numerous high profile cases involving gang
members in 2015. The CIS detective also gave educational presentations on gangs for
both law enforcement and community organizations for the purpose of keeping officers
and citizens abreast of the latest trends and threats related to gang activity.
The CIS obtained and served numerous search warrants (cellular phone, computers,
residences and vehicles). Assorted firearms and a substantial amount of narcotics were
seized by the CIS.
The CIS continued to update a “Top Twenty Most Wanted Gang Member List”. Over 225
arrests have been made from the list since its establishment.
Firearms recovered from an investigation.
33
Narcotics Section
The Narcotics Section is composed of one sergeant and ten detectives. Of the ten
detectives, four are assigned to narcotics enforcement with one of the detectives
assigned to specifically investigate prescription drug fraud. The detective who
investigates prescription drug fraud is also a canine handler. Four detectives are
assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Southern Colorado Drug Task
Force and two detectives are assigned to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives (BATFE) Gun Task Force.
With a focus on narcotic and vice-related investigations, the Narcotics Section strives to
enhance the quality of life in the City of Pueblo. The Section aggressively pursues these
investigations with an emphasis on targeting those responsible for supplying and
distributing illicit drugs to our community.
As of the close of 2015, the Narcotics Section had initiated or completed approximately
300 investigations involving narcotic or vice-related cases. Those investigations resulted
in over 100 arrests and 75 search warrants obtained and executed
The following cases are
examples of work completed by
the Narcotics Section in 2015:
•
•
•
A two-week investigation in
which detectives executed a
search warrant at a residence,
seizing
75
grams
of
methamphetamine with a
street value of $7,500.00,
seized ten firearms, arrested
three people, and seized
nearly $6,000.00 in U.S.
currency.
A two-week investigation in
which detectives executed a
search warrant at a hotel room,
Weapons, narcotics, drug paraphernilia and money recovered from a
seizing
32
grams
of
narcotics investigation.
methamphetamine, 33 grams
of heroin with a total street value of $6,500, arrested two people, and seized over $2,000 in
U.S. currency.
A month-long investigation in which detectives executed a search warrant at a residence and
seized numerous pieces of marijuana extracts, arrested two people, and seized nearly
$13,000 in U.S. currency.
Detectives processed narcotic evidence in over 482 local cases (including patrol cases)
with an estimated street value of well over $965,000. The Narcotics Section also
conducted narcotic awareness presentations to various organizations.
34
Forfeitures
In 2015, the Narcotics Section was successful in the seizure of over $1.5 million dollars
in U.S. currency and vehicles, largely due to the work of Detective Vince Petkosek and
his canine partner, Widget. Using interdiction traffic stops, Detective Petkosek and his
canine have also been a successful tool in combating the distribution of illicit narcotics in
the community as well as other parts of the state.
Impact of Marijuana Legislation
With the legalization of marijuana and the ever growing number of marijuana grows within
the community, the Narcotics Sections teamed up with the Pueblo Police Department
Code Compliance Unit to investigate illegal grows and violations with the city ordinances.
While investigating these cases, detectives periodically check residences, outbuildings,
and businesses within the community.
The Narcotics Section has also investigated over 50 violations of marijuana being shipped
by United Parcel Service and Federal Express. A majority of these violations have led to
convictions of the perpetrators.
Prostitution
The Narcotics Section also investigates prostitution violations. Various investigative
techniques are utilized and adapted to adjust for the changing trends in supply and
distribution techniques of both illicit drugs and prostitution.
Throughout the year, the Narcotics Section assisted units within the Department and
numerous other agencies with intelligence information and surveillance. In 2015, the
Narcotics Section worked along many other agencies on nation-wide sting operation
called, “Operation Cross Country”, where law enforcement mainly targets underage
prostitution. The two-day operation netted the following results:
•
•
•
16 male perpetrators were cited and released for soliciting prostitution (municipal)
6 prostitution arrests. Three of these arrests were for felony drug charges
Youngest arrest for prostitution was 19 years old (no underage prostitution arrests)
Drug Enforcement Administration Southern Colorado Drug Task Force
Detectives who are assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Southern
Colorado Drug Task Force work with the DEA special agents enforcing drug laws. In
2015, the Task Force detectives disrupted and/or dismantled numerous drug trafficking
organizations in Southern Colorado and beyond. One example was the “Operation
Mountain Grass” case consisting of a large drug trafficking organization, comprised
mostly of Cuban individuals, relocating from southern Florida to the area of Cotopaxi and
Westcliffe, Colorado. These individuals moved to Colorado to specifically take advantage
of the State’s lenient marijuana laws in late 2013 to early 2014. The individuals grew
35
excessive amounts of marijuana, all of which was being transported to Florida and New
York via couriers and mail. This organization continued to become more aggressive as
the case continued, even firing gun shots over the heads of neighbors as they walked
down the street. The 14 month investigation concluded on September 1, 2015 with
search warrant executions at eight properties near Cotopaxi and Westcliffe, which led to
20 indictments, 1,002 marijuana plants seized (most over 6 feet tall), 50 pounds of
processed and packaged marijuana, 28 firearms, and over $25,000 in cash.
DEA Southern Colorado Drug Task Force
Notable 2015 Seizures
Methamphetamine
127 lbs
Cocaine
16 lbs
Heroin
30 lbs
LSD
100 doses
Marijuana
35 lbs
Marijuana from Grow
266 lbs
Marijuana plants
929
Synthetic Cannabinoids (Spice)
38.3 grams
Prescription pills
589.5 gross grams
Steroids
114.9 grams
Hashish
141.2 grams
Cash/Currency
$921,277.22
Vehicles
$250,265.00
Firearms
$13,034.00
Grow Equipment
$205,533.36
Real Property
$46,000.00
Jewelry
$36,950.00
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Gun Task Force
Detectives assigned to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(BATFE) Gun Task Force work with special agents enforcing state and federal firearm
laws. The Task Force Officers (TFOs) work to remove illegal firearms and combat violent
crime in Pueblo and Southern Colorado.
In 2015, TFOs assigned to the BATFE Gun Task Force coordinated ten street operations
within the City of Pueblo in attempts to remove firearms from the streets. The Gun Task
Force also initiated “Operation Hot Brass” working closely with the Colorado Bureau of
Investigations. This incorporated the collection and lab analysis of shell casings found in
the City of Pueblo. The casings were then sent to CBI for further analysis. The BATFE
Gun Task Force processed 380 casings involving 120 Pueblo Police Department cases.
These investigations gave many leads and ultimately led to arrests in violent criminal
investigations.
36
Identification Section
The
Identification
Section been a part of
the Pueblo Police
Department for many
decades. The original
purpose for the ID
Section was to provide
the
service
of
identifying people by
fingerprints, as well as
doing crime scene
photography
and
evidence collection.
The section also kept
extensive fingerprint
files and spent a lot of
time processing the
Detectives Niki Thomas and Gene Reno
public for different
licensing processes. Over the last 15 years the unit has become much more involved in
technology and has become more of a crime scene investigation/crime scene
reconstruction unit. The section had one of the state’s first photo enhancement and video
capture labs, and is currently the only law enforcement lab providing this service in
Southern Colorado.
The detectives in the section also specialize in areas such as bloodstain pattern analysis,
DNA collection and preservation, shooting reconstruction, crime scene reconstruction,
evidence detection and preservation, fingerprint identification, crime scene photography
and video documentation. All detectives assigned to the ID Section are members of the
International Association for Identification (the Rocky Mountain Division) which is the
overseeing organization for forensics standards and training.
The ID Section includes one supervisor and three full time detectives (two more detective
positions are frozen due to man power shortages). The ID Section falls under the Special
Investigations Division under the command of the Criminal Investigation Division Captain.
The ID Section assists all department work units as well as other agencies.
The ID Section personnel accomplished many tasks in 2015 including the following:
Identification Section Production 2015
Crime scenes processed
Number of PPD lab requests completed
Latent print examinations completed
Suspect identifications made (based on latent print examinations)
Victim elimination identifications made (based on latent print examinations)
615
361
2,444
47
93
37
Pueblo Metro Bomb Squad
The Pueblo Metro Bomb Squad responds to situations where explosives, potentially
explosive hazardous materials, and suspicious packages are known to be or may be
present. The Bomb Squad was created in 1975 and is currently one of approximately five
hundred federally accredited bomb squads in the United States. In 2008, the Pueblo
Metro Bomb Squad was formed allowing the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office to add
deputies to the Squad.
All certified technicians on the Bomb Squad are required to attend the Hazardous Devices
School (HDS) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and must return to HDS every
three years to recertify. The current basic certification course is six weeks long, and
recertification is one week. Technicians are also required to attend a one week hazardous
materials course at Fort McClelland, Alabama.
In 2015, two para-techs
from the Pueblo Police
Department, Corporal
William Doyle and
Sergeant
Dustin
Taylor, attended the
HDS in Huntsville,
Alabama and were
certified
as
full
technicians. Sergeant
Taylor has since taken
over as Bomb Squad
Commander for the
Pueblo Metro Bomb
Squad.
The Pueblo Metro
Bomb Squad also
added four new paratechs in 2015, two from the Pueblo Police Department and two from the Pueblo County
Sheriff’s Office. Bomb Squad members are required to train 16 hours a month to maintain
accreditation standards.
From left to right: Pueblo County Sheriff’s Deputy John Christie, Pueblo Police
Sergeant Dustin Taylor and Pueblo Police Corporal William Doyle.
The Pueblo Metro Bomb Squad also has the responsibility of training agencies in the
South region about the hazards of explosives and what precautions to take.
Between 2008 and 2011, calls for service were relatively steady, with an average of 18.25
calls for service per year. Calendar years 2012 and 2013 saw dramatic increases,
however, with calls for service increasing by over 100% each year. There were 97 total
calls for the Bomb Squad in 2015. Fifty-two of those calls were for suspected devices,
suspicious packages, or anything deemed as potentially hazardous. The other 45 calls
38
were incidents not related to explosive materials, suspicious packages or hazardous
devices.
The Pueblo Metro Bomb Squad participates in several community outreach programs. In
2015, the Bomb Squad participated in National Night Out, Kids Day at the Park, AMR
Safety Jam, Kick off to a Drug Free Summer, the Red Ribbon Campaign and multiple
school safety fairs.
At the request of some of the Pueblo Police Department Law Enforcement Academy
students, the Bomb Squad participated in a drug and gang awareness event at Risley
Middle School. This was a community project put together by the academy students to
build better police and public relationships.
2015 Bomb Calls
Fireworks
Ammunition Turned In
Military Ordinance
Explosives Found/Turned in
Suspicous Packages/Devices
Pipe Bombs
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Bomb Calls (By Year)
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
102
97
68
2013
2014
2015
39
SERVICES BUREAU
The Services Bureau of the Pueblo Police Department consists of the Special Services
Division, the Support Services Division, the Community Services Division and the
Administrative Services Section.
The
Services Bureau is led by Deputy Michael
Bennett.
Within the Special Services
Division are the following specialized
sections:
Training
Section,
School
Resource Officer Section, Internal Affairs
Section and Code Compliance Unit. Within
the Support Services Division are the
following
sections:
Communications
Center, Records Section, Property and
Evidence Section, and Fleet and Building
Maintenance.
Within the Community
Services Division are the following
functions:
Public
Relations
(Public
Information Officer), Crime Prevention Unit,
Volunteer Program, Policy Development
and Accreditation.
In addition to the
aforementioned full-time functions, the
Tactical Services Group also falls under the
Services Bureau. Deputy Chief Michael
Bennett
directly
operates
the
Administrative Services Section.
The Administrative Services Section of the
Pueblo Police Department is responsible
for the daily management of the “business
From left to right: Gaylene Holderman, De Shaw and Alisa
side” of running a large police department.
Boerhave.
Like any other organization that employs
nearly 270 individuals, there are numerous daily functions that must take place in order
to keep the “business” running efficiently.
One of the functions included in Administrative Services includes payroll and employee
benefits management. A single Payroll Technician manages all employee compensation
and keeps track of sick leave usage, vacation accrual, FMLA issues, overtime payment,
compensatory time accrual and everything else related to the Department’s authorized
strength of 272 employees. Typically, the PPD has an authorized strength of 207 sworn
positions and 65 civilian positions. However, in 2013, City Administration “froze and
unfunded” 14 of the sworn positions and 5 of the civilian positions, and they remained
frozen and unfunded in 2015.
Another function of the Administrative Services Section is the daily management of the
Pueblo Police Department’s general budget. In 2015, the Department’s budget was a
total of $26,154,235 which was down 1.855% from 2014’s $26,648,584 budget.
40
93.56% of that amount, or $24,470,906, is dedicated to personnel costs (i.e., salaries and
benefits). The remaining 6.44%, or $1,683,329, must cover all operating costs incurred
by the Department. All City departments had to absorb a 10% cut to their operating
budgets in 2015, from 2014 levels.
2015 General Fund Appropriations
Police
Fire
Public Works
Parks and Recreation
Finance
Information Technology
Transfer to other funds
Other
Total
$26,154,235
$15,711,245
$7,760,477
$4,429,764
$1,522,254
$2,385,461
$8,978,455
$10,123,109
$77,065,000
34%
Police
All Other
66%
Internal Allocation of Funds
Personnel
Operating
$24,470,906
$1,683,329
6%
Personnel
94%
Operating
41
The Administrative Services Section also oversees the acquisition of major equipment
purchases for the Department. Some of the equipment is purchased utilizing operating
funds, but with an operating budget of only 7% of the general budget, most equipment
purchases are accomplished utilizing Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant
(JAG) funds. Since the JAG’s inception in 2005, the Department has been awarded
nearly $1.5 million to acquire necessary equipment. The 2015 JAG award was for a total
of $86,337. The Department has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with other
Pueblo County law enforcement agencies (Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office and Pueblo
County District Attorney’s Office) that details the sharing formula for JAG funds.
Some of the more significant equipment purchases in 2015 included seven new Ford
Interceptor SUV four-wheel drive police patrol vehicles. A new black and white color
scheme was adopted, as well as newly designed striping and decals for the vehicles.
Additional 2015 JAG equipment purchases included:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
$37,000 in necessary desktop and laptop computer replacements
Trauma management packs for all patrol officers
Bomb Squad equipment
Code Enforcement computers and software
Traffic control devices trailer
Crime scene investigation equipment
Traffic cones
The Administrative Services Section was also tasked with
developing and conducting a day-long supervisory staff
retreat in 2014. The retreat was held on March 31, 2015
and included a half-day presentation by the highly regarded
presenter, Captain Joe Robinson (ret). The keynote
presentation was entitled Active Thinking for High Reliability
Leaders and was attended by all command staff, sworn
supervisors, civilian supervisors, and IBPO and PAGE
union representatives. The second half of the day involved
group exercises designed around the Cultural Assessment
exercise provided by Mr. Robinson
The Administrative Services Section faces numerous
challenges in 2016, such as frozen and unfunded positions,
dwindling Federal aid and increased criminal activity amid
continuously rising costs and expectations.
Captain Joe Robinson (ret)
On the bright side, in early 2016, the Department will be able to produce a police academy
with funding for nine new sworn positions. The Department will continue with an active
Body-worn camera program and funds are being sought to purchase and equip 19 new
marked SUVs and provide funding for several replacement unmarked vehicles. We also
anticipate a FY2016 JAG award, which will be used to fund necessary equipment needs.
42
Training Section
The mission of the Training Section is to provide
and facilitate quality training to all personnel at the
Pueblo Police Department. Our goal is to offer
training that meets or exceeds federal, state, local
and POST training requirements. It is a priority of
the Pueblo Police Department to provide
continuing education and training for the
professional growth and progressive development
of its personnel.
This ensures department
personnel possess the knowledge and skills
necessary to provide a professional level of
service that meets or exceeds the needs and
Sergeant Dustin Taylor
expectations of the public. The Training Section is
responsible for keeping records of all trainings
department personnel attend either at the Department or outside the Department.
Another important duty of the Training Section is scheduling and staffing the semi-annual
firearms qualifications for all sworn personnel.
The Training Section is staffed by a sergeant (Sergeant
Dustin Taylor) and two sworn personnel (Corporal Shelli
Ellis and Officer Nathan Pruce). They are assisted by
one full-time clerical staff member (Linda Contreras)
and one part-time
clerical staff member
(Yesenia Corral). To
accomplish
the
training goals of the
Department,
the
Training Section is
divided
into
two
areas: Academy and
In-Service Training.
The
Academy
Coordinator
is
Linda Contreras (front) and Corporal
Shelli Ellis (back)
responsible for all
academies put on at
the Pueblo Police Department as well as the firearms
qualifications throughout the year. The In-Service
Coordinator is responsible for facilitating in-service
Yesenia Corral (front) and
training and all in-house training put on by outside
Officer Nathan Pruce (back)
sources.
43
Pueblo Police Law Enforcement Academy - 11,460 hours provided
The Pueblo Police Department operates the Pueblo Police Law
Enforcement Academy, certified by Colorado POST (Police
Officer Standards and Training), training personnel to become
certified peace officers.
In March of 2015, the Training Section completed the first of two
academies. The first academy started in October of 2014. There
were a total of 11 attendees in the academy, five from the Pueblo
Police Department and six from outside agencies. The five
officers from the Pueblo Police Department transitioned into the Police Training Officer
(PTO) Program at the completion of the academy. One officer has since resigned his
position. One has been injured and looks to finish his PTO training in 2016. The other
three officers have completed their training and are currently assigned on their own to the
Patrol Division.
The second 2015 academy started on July 13, 2015 with 13 recruits entering the program.
All 13 graduated on December 4, 2015 and
have since moved on to the PTO Program.
During their time in the Academy, the recruits
participated in the National Night Out, a police
and community partnership where members
from local law enforcement and other
emergency services set up some their
equipment and invite the community to come
meet our first responders. This event is meant
to foster a better relationship between law
enforcement and the community. The recruits
Members of the Department at the Community
were involved in helping serve hotdogs to the
Youth Night.
community members who attended the function,
and interacting with them in a positive environment.
In 2015, one academy class was able to organize a Community Youth Night at Risley
Middle School to raise gang and drug awareness. The entire recruit class showed up
and supported the event. Members from the SWAT Team, The Pueblo Metro Bomb
Squad and gang detectives participated in the event which was a success.
The Training Section holds three additional academies for the community of Pueblo which
consist of a Citizen’s Academy, a Spanish Citizen’s Academy for our Spanish speaking
residents and a Family Academy. In 2015, the Citizen’s Academy was held two nights a
week for five weeks throughout June and July. The purposes of the Citizen’s Academies,
both English and Spanish, are to promote Community Policing and build a better
relationship with the citizens of Pueblo. The Family Academy is designed to give family
members of police officers a better understanding of what officers face on a day-to-day
basis while working and the stresses of being a police officer. Due to low enrollment,
neither the Family Academy nor Spanish Citizen’s Academy were held in 2015. In 2015,
44
the Explorer Academy was transitioned to the School Resource Officer (SRO) Section
and coordinated by Officer Heather Smith. The total amount of academy-related training
hours put on by the Training Section for 2015 was 11,460 hours.
Firearms
Over the course of 2015 the
Training Section coordinated
the semi-annual firearms
qualifications of all sworn
personnel. There are a total
of twelve qualification days
throughout the year, one each
month. January to June are
the first-half qualifications and
July to December are the
second-half qualifications.
Department Firearms Range
received significant upgrades
with the help of Black Hills
Energy and Lowes. Many
New sign at the Pueblo Police Department Firearms Range.
other
members
of
the
community donated time, supplies and equipment to help with improvements. These
community members were recognized at the Pueblo Police Department Annual Awards
Luncheon on December 3, 2015. Corporal Matthew Ballard was instrumental in
coordinating the improvement process and was also recognized for his hard work and
dedication to the Pueblo Police Department.
In-Service Training - 8,152 hours provided
In 2015 Colorado POST mandated that all sworn personnel are required to have a
minimum of 24 hours of in-service training each year. Twelve hours must incorporate the
three skills areas of law enforcement: driving, firearms and arrest control. The other 12
hours were to be on other topics related to law enforcement. The Pueblo Police
Department was able to be 100% compliant with this mandate.
In 2015, the Training Section held six separate in-service trainings and all sworn
personnel were given the appropriate trainings as required. The trainings covered such
topics as: firearms, Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST) and Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus
(HGN) re-certification, defensive driving, Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) and stopstick re-certification, Property and Evidence Section updates, 1st Amendment updates,
ethics and anti-bias policing training, liquor board training updates, arrest control and
TASER re-certification. The focus of the in-service trainings is designed to keep officers
up to date with certifications, legal updates as well as expose them to “real world”
situations. In 2015, a total of 8,152 man hours were devoted to in-service training.
45
School
Resource
Officers
(SROs) are responsible for the
safety and law enforcement
needs of thirty-one schools
throughout the city of Pueblo.
SROs are expected to be active
and visible in their schools and to
be a resource to both staff and
students. During the 2014-2015
school year, the School Resource
Officer Section was composed of
one sergeant and eleven officers.
There was one SRO assigned to
each of the four high schools, one
at each of the six middle schools, From left to right: Corporal Ray Alvarez, Officer Jason Smith, Officer
Smith, Officer Carl Pagels, Sergeant Darren Velarde, Officer
and one at an alternative Heather
Ryan Waring, Corporal Rebecca Jaeger, Officer Brent Tillman,
education center. SROs also take Officer Matthew Purkett, Corporal Randall Ramos, Corporal Randy
Pixler
care of elementary schools in
their areas and are required to do
weekly check-ins with those schools. SROs can also be dispatched to any elementary
school at any time that school is in need of a police response.
During the 2014-2015 school year, SROs handled over 4,100 investigations and were
involved in 2,900 conflict resolution situations. The SROs issued 657 municipal citations
during the 2014-15 school year, with most citations being issued for disorderly conduct
and narcotic violations. The number of citations increased from the previous school year
with increases in tobacco, trespass, assault, and other municipal crimes.
Total Citations Issued (By School Year)
Citations by Type
(School Year 2014 - 2015)
800
700
641
657
600
Other
38%
483
500
400
Theft
1%
300
Disorderly
Conduct
35%
Narcotics
Violations
26%
200
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
The School Resource Officer Section works in conjunction with Pueblo City Schools
personnel to continue refining a Safety Crisis Plan, which has been implemented and
accepted as policy by the Board of Education. The plan encompasses everything from
natural disasters to human-caused events, such as intruders. The Crisis Team, which is
comprised of the SRO Sergeant and Pueblo City Schools personnel, tries to conduct at
46
least one lockdown drill in each of the thirty schools during the school year to ensure each
is in compliance with the Safety Crisis Plan.
The SROs work in the
Patrol Division during
school breaks and in the
summer months. The
migration of SROs to the
Patrol Division during the
summer break is welltimed, as this is when
calls for service increase.
Several of the SROs
participate in community
events throughout the
year in which students
attend. Some of these
events include the Kick off
Corporal Randall Ramos
to a Drug Free Summer,
National Night Out, Ghost Walks, Rake-Up Pueblo, Operation Paintbrush, and the Pueblo
Police Explorer Program.
Explorer Program
The SRO Section is also responsible for the Pueblo Police Explorer Program as they seek
juveniles at their schools to participate in the program. The Pueblo Police Explorer
Program Post #108 was implemented in 2009. Exploring is a part of the Learning for Life
career education program, and it is for young men and women ages 14-20 years old. The
Explorer Program provides an
opportunity to make a difference in
the lives of young people, not just
today, but in the future as well. The
Explorer Program has four specific
goals for the explorers:
1. Gain practical experience in
the career interest of the postlaw enforcement.
2. Engage in program activities
centered on the five emphasis
areas (career opportunities,
life
skills,
citizenship,
2015 Pueblo Police Explorer Program Class
character education, and
leadership experience) to encourage the development of the whole person.
3. Experience positive leadership from adult and youth leaders and have the opportunity to
take on leadership roles.
4.
Have a chance to learn and grow in a supportive, caring, and fun environment.
47
The Internal Affairs Section exists to ensure the integrity of the
Pueblo Police Department and has the responsibility of
ensuring an intensive, impartial investigation of complaints.
These investigations are conducted in a manner that provides
for objectivity, fairness, and justice for all parties associated with
the complaint.
The Internal Affairs Section serves as the repository of
complaint investigations and is responsible for recording and
maintaining those investigatory records in a secure location.
The Section is staffed by two sergeants and a part time clerk who are responsible for the
Internal Affairs function and perform their duties with the authority of the Chief of Police.
The Special Services Division Captain is responsible for the direct supervision and control
of the Internal Affairs Section.
The Internal Affairs Section investigates potential policy violations such as:
•
•
•
•
•
Allegations of serious misconduct, excessive force, and civil rights violations.
Officer-involved shooting incidents.
All civil cases as requested by the City Attorney.
Any case by request of any department member who justifiably feels threatened
by a false accusation or a contrived situation involving false evidence.
Any other cases as assigned by the Chief of Police.
Any member of the Department may be required to assist in an Internal Affairs Section
investigation. Complaints are received via the Citizen's Written Complaint Form, in
person, by mail, telephone, department personnel or the Internet online complaint form.
Complaints are then investigated by one of the Internal Affairs Section sergeants. At the
completion of an investigation, the case is presented to the Chief of Police.
The Chief then makes one of the following findings regarding the case:
•
•
•
•
Exonerated: The officer/officers were justified in their actions.
Unfounded: The situation or allegation made in the complaint did not happen.
Not Sustained: The allegation could not be proven nor could it be disproved.
Sustained: The allegation and report happened and is contrary to law or
Department policy.
A sustained finding can result in a number of disciplinary actions. Discipline may take the
form of counseling, training, reprimand, suspension or dismissal from employment, as
deemed appropriate by the Chief of Police. In some cases, the filing of criminal charges
by the Office of the District Attorney will take place.
48
In 2015, the Pueblo Police Department responded to 122,031 calls for service. The
Internal Affairs Section investigated 98 complaints. Of the 98 complaints, 44 were
generated by citizens. The remaining complaints were generated internally within the
Police Department. The total number of complaints filed against Pueblo police officers,
internally and externally, amounted to approximately 0.0008 of the total calls for service.
Of the 98 total complaints investigated by the Internal Affairs section, 44 cases were
sustained, a reduction of 12 percent from 2014 when there were 50 complaints sustained.
9 were exonerated, 16 were unfounded and 5 were inactivated. One complaint was
withdrawn by the complainant. Twenty-three remained open as of the close of 2015.
Complaint Findings
Sustained Complaints
Exonerated
13%
50
40
Unfounded
23%
29
30
20
10
Sustained
64%
12
3
0
Citizen Complaints Policy Violations
Motor Vehicle
Crashes
During 2015 there were 106 Response to Aggression / Resistance Reports filed with the
Internal Affairs Section. As observed in the chart, the total number of reported incidents
of force decreased by 12% in 2015 as compared to 2014. This is the lowest total of
reported use of force incidents in the past five years. The agency’s commitment to
training may be the primary reason for the consistent reduction. This commitment to
training provides our officers with the tools to make sound decisions while interacting with
the public during the course of their duties.
Force Application Incidents
(By Year)
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
135
124
121
106
2012
2013
2014
2015
49
Code Compliance Unit
The Code Compliance Unit is tasked with the enforcement of municipal ordinances that
deal with quality of life issues pertaining to health and sanitation. The Unit deals with
zoning issues, as well as complaints about solid waste (litter), junk vehicles and weeds.
2015 brought many challenges - an abundance of rain resulted in numerous weeds,
staffing changes and shortages for extended periods of time, a new computer system
was built and implemented, officers started wearing body-worn cameras, and officers
teamed with the Law Department to collect 30 years worth of unpaid weed and trash liens.
The Unit has worked diligently at building a team and continuing the valuable work it does
in the community.
The Code Compliance Unit underwent staffing reclassification in 2015. As of the drafting
of this report, the current staffing was: one manager, one lead code enforcement officer,
five code enforcement officers, one part-time clerk/typist, one part-time abatement crew
leader, and four part-time abatement crew members.
2015 Code Compliance Unit Activity
Calls, Complaints and Inspections
Citizen complaints/officer-initiated complaints
3,995
Follow-up inspections
8,742
Voluntary Compliance
Voluntary compliance cases
3,281
Voluntary compliance rate
83%
Summonses, Citations and Court Fines
Summonses/citations issued
438 (1044)
Value of court fine assessments
$239,706.00
Property Abatement and Liens
Properties abated
172
Liens issued
172
Value of liens issued
$93,671.74
Tons of waste removed from properties
265.55
Before
After
50
The Pueblo Police Department Communications Center
serves as the B.R.I.D.G.E. to police and fire responses
within the City of Pueblo. The Communications Center and
its dedicated public safety professionals serve as a critical
communications link for citizens, the Pueblo Police
Department and the Pueblo Fire Department. In addition,
the Communications Center serves as the primary contact
for other City departments during emergencies, after hours,
on weekends, and/or during holidays. These departments
include the City of Pueblo Parks, Storm Water, Waste
Water, Streets, and Transportation Departments.
Emergency Services Dispatchers are often the first, and sometimes the only public safety
professional to come in contact with citizens requesting assistance for both emergent and
non-emergent reasons. Our Communications Center personnel take pride in their chosen
profession and continually strive to meet and exceed the expectations of those we support
and serve. Our professionals understand and embrace the important role they have as
the B.R.I.D.G.E. to Police and Fire.
B Build rapport
R Relate with empathy and respect
I Identify needs
D Develop specific feedback
G Gain Commitment
E Expand relationships
The Communications Center is responsible for all inbound and outbound public safety
communication within the City of Pueblo, both over the telephone and via the statewide
800-mHz Digital Trunking Radio System (DTRS). In addition, the skilled professionals
who work in the Communications Center have many other responsibilities, including:
Dispatch all police and fire calls within the City of Pueblo.
Handle administrative calls for service.
Field administrative calls for the Police and Fire Departments as well as after-hours calls
for other City departments.
Launch Emergency Notifications as needed (e.g., natural disasters, child abductions,
threats to public safety, etc.).
Enter missing persons, runaways, stolen vehicles and other “hot files” into the Colorado
Crime Information Center (CCIC) and National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
databases.
Query persons, vehicles, articles, securities and plate through CCIC and NCIC.
Maintain site, premise information and advisories within the Computer Aided Dispatch
(CAD) system to improve safety to citizens, officers and fire fighters.
House and confirm warrants issued by Pueblo Municipal Court.
Provide pre-arrival instructions for medical calls through use of the Emergency Medical
Dispatch (EMD) protocols.
Monitor the internal security system for the Pueblo Municipal Justice Center.
51
The Pueblo 911 Communications Center is a 24/7 operation. At the end of 2015,
authorized staffing for the Communications Center included one Dispatch Manager
(Laura Wittrup), three Emergency Services Dispatch Supervisors (Kimberly Jefferies,
Travis Mark and Ericha Burns), one Dispatch Training Coordinator, and 29 Emergency
Services Dispatchers (24 authorized and funded positions in addition to five over hire
positions). Temporary part-time personnel provide administrative and technical support
for the Communications Center. Actual staffing remained below authorized levels
throughout 2015 for various reasons, with 13 working dispatchers.
2015 was another busy year for the emergency
services dispatchers and call takers, who jointly
processed 402,248 phone calls, a 9.6% increase
over 2014. This call volume included 9-1-1 lines,
direct lines, and both incoming and outgoing
administrative telephone calls. These telephone
calls included 110,908 9-1-1 calls (increase of
26.7% over 2014) and 5,973 abandoned 9-1-1 calls
(increase of 31.7% over 2014). Abandoned 9-1-1
calls are telephone calls placed to 9-1-1 in which
the caller disconnects before the call can be
answered by Communications Center personnel.
From left to right: Emergency Serices Dispatchers
April Vigl, Heather Halverson and Dustin Atencio.
The National Emergency Number Association
(NENA), in coordination with the Cellular
Telephone Industry Association (CTIA), have
verified that society as a whole is becoming
increasingly more dependent on wireless
technology. As a result, people are dialing 91-1 more and more each and every day. To
put that all into perspective, 87.7% (102,562)
of all 9-1-1 telephone calls (116,881) received
by the Communications Center during 2015
were wireless. That is a 4.3% increase in
wireless 9-1-1 usage in just one year (2014 to
2015).
Emergency Services Dispatcher Rosie Quintana
In past years, Fridays have had highest volume of telephone calls and Sundays have had
the lowest volume of telephone calls. This proved to the case in 2015 as well. The same
proved for summer, which historically is the busiest for telephone calls. The
Communications Center personnel processed 113,724 telephone calls from June through
August of 2015.
52
Incoming Telephone Calls
(By Month)
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
22,000 24,000 26,000 28,000 30,000 32,000 34,000 36,000 38,000 40,000
2015 brought with it a 2% increase in the number of calls for service generated from the
Communications Center as compared to 2014. There were 145,228 calls for service
generated within the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system including 21,337 (15%) fire
and/or fire rescue calls, 905 (less than 1%) animal control calls, and 952 (less than 1%)
calls involved responses outside the City of Pueblo (e.g., West Park, Pueblo West, Pueblo
County, etc.). The remaining 122,031 (84%) were police-related calls for service.
Total Calls for Service (By Year)
150000
145228
145000
137669
140000
132095
135000
130000
125000
120000
2013
2014
2015
53
Records Section
The Pueblo Police Department Records Section is responsible for the storage, release
and management of law enforcement information. The Records Section acts as a
channel from which the public and other agencies can access police records. The release
of police records is closely governed by the Colorado Open Records Act, so section
personnel must be well-trained in the Act and meticulously follow the records release
protocols.
The Records Section personnel have a multitude of
responsibilities and duties, including disseminating police
reports, conducting criminal background checks, registering
and updating records of sex offenders, managing police
records for submission to the Colorado Bureau of
Investigation as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
expunging and/or sealing arrest and conviction records
upon notification by the courts, validating all police reports
completed by police officers (ensuring completeness and
accuracy), etc. The Records Section has also added police
Police Records Technician
report taking to their duties. In 2015, the civilian personnel
Margaret Mangram
took and entered 3,808 police reports, which was 14.5% of
all police reports generated by the Pueblo Police
Department. The civilian personnel also took 1,081 supplemental reports.
Records Released
•
•
•
•
In 2015, the Records Section generated over $34,599.00 through the services offered to
the public.
Police reports: 1,149 copies of police reports were released to the public, media, and
citizens other than law enforcement.
Background checks: 1,014 background checks processed.
Fingerprint cards: 904 fingerprint cards were completed for citizens.
Police Records Technician
Jane Benavidez
There are currently 513 active sex offenders requiring
registration in the City of Pueblo. Three hundred and thirtythree registered sex offenders must register once a year and
180 registered sex offenders must register quarterly. The
records technician in charge of the Sex Offender Registry
processed 1,053 registrations (annual and quarterly) and
made modifications to the state database 4,264 times. A query
of each person had to be conducted whenever there were
changes made or registrations completed. Sex offenders were
queried 7,960 times in the state system, double the amount
from 2014.
54
The Property and Evidence Section is part
of the Support Services Section and is
managed by the Property and Evidence
Custodian. The position is staffed by a
police sergeant, three full-time civilian
employees and one-part time employee.
The Property and Evidence Section is
responsible for receiving, tracking and
securely storing all property and evidence
collected by officers. The Section maintains
evidence and makes it available for
laboratory examination, viewing and
A secure storage area of the Property and Evidence
examination by the prosecution and
Section.
defense, and eventual presentation in court
proceedings. In order to provide for valid and proper evidentiary value, the Section is
tasked with preserving evidence in the same form and condition as it was when originally
entered into the Section’s custody. Upon receiving instruction from the courts and/or
meeting all legal evidence and property retention requirements, the Section has the
responsibility of releasing and/or disposing of the property and evidence as well. Over
800 contact cards were sent out to return items and over 1,750 people were assisted that
came to the Property and Evidence lobby.
In 2015, the Property and Evidence
Section accepted, cataloged and
stored
approximately
21,000
individual items of evidence, which is
up for the year due in part to the high
number of significant crimes in 2015.
Another contributing factor is that the
Pueblo County Detention Center no
longer
accepts
property
from
individuals being booked by Pueblo
police officers. Since many entries
into the Property and Evidence
Section are already boxed and
Property and Evidence Technician Venessa Codina
sealed, and may contain many
separate items, these numbers only
reflect the issued “bar codes” or “vouchers” for the entry, and the individual pieces
handled would be much more. As of the drafting of this report, the Property and Evidence
Section was housing approximately 96,000 items that are in the current computer system
and close to another 20,000 items from old cases that are being systematically entered
into the current computer system with the help of four volunteers from the VAPP program.
55
The thought and planning that went into the design and equipping of the property and
evidence storage facilities of the Pueblo Municipal Justice Center continues to foster
efficient storage of property and evidence. The facility, which is located on the first floor
of the Pueblo Municipal Justice Center, includes a very large evidence storage area with
space-saving, rolling rack shelving to make the most efficient use of the space. The
secured storage area includes a large walk-in refrigerator as well as a separate walk-in
freezer for the storage of biological, serological and possible DNA evidence. In addition,
separate highly secured storage areas are used to store narcotics, firearms and currency.
A second large storage area is located at the police annex and is used primarily for the
long-term storage of cases or the storage of large items that cannot be stored in the main
facility.
Below is a graph that illustrates the growth of entered items, from under 10,000 items in
2011 to over 20,000 items in 2015. The growth of property being brought in is believed
to be from several factors. The first factor is the upswing in violent crime, such as
shootings. Patrol officers have also started collecting DNA swabs while processing crime
scenes, and that practice has added significantly to the increase in submissions. The
graph below also shows a trend that the final disposition of evidence is decreasing.
Several new procedures have recently been implemented to combat the growing
inventory, and there should be a noticeable increase in disposition in the near future.
Property and Evidence Intake and Disposition
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
2011
2012
Intake
2013
2014
2015
Disposition
In 2015, the Property and Evidence Custodian conducted semi-annual inspections of the
Section in order to identify and correct any possible problems. These inspections were
used to streamline some of the functions of the Property and Evidence Section. A
member of the command staff, who is not associated with the day-to-day operation of the
Property and Evidence Section, conducted a formal audit at the end of 2015. The results
of the audit are being analyzed and any problem areas were either corrected during the
audit or will be corrected during in 2016.
56
Fleet Services and Maintenance
The Pueblo Municipal Justice Center (PMJC) facilities and police fleet fall under the
supervision and direction of the Support Services Manager as part of the Support
Services Division of the Pueblo Police Department.
Building Maintenance
The Support Services Section is responsible for the continuing maintenance, repair and
cleaning of the Pueblo Municipal Justice Center (PMJC). One full-time custodian and
one part-time custodian handle the normal day-to-day cleaning and maintenance needs
for the 105,000 square feet building and
its employees. The PMJC contracts with
an independent cleaning company that
handles more extensive cleaning of the
building during the evening hours.
The Support Services Manager must be
adept at understanding and maintaining
the state of the art technology and
equipment within the PMJC.
The
Support Services Manager must also
maintain strong working relationships
with other City departments. During the
Pueblo Police Department fitness center
spring of 2015, the Support Services
Manager, working with a company, completed the installation of four new computer
terminals which control and monitor the PMJC security cameras and door control
systems. This installation included an upgrade of the operational software used by the
security systems in place in the PMJC.
Fleet Services
The management of the Pueblo Police
Department’s fleet of approximately 200
marked and unmarked vehicles requires
effective communication with employees
of the City of Pueblo Fleet Maintenance
Department.
The Support Services
Manager is responsible for the tracking
and management of all repairs,
preventive maintenance, systematic
inspections and servicing of fleet vehicles
at
intervals
compatible
with
manufacturers’ recommendations for
A mechanic works on a marked patrol vehicle.
lubrication and mechanical services. The
Fleet Maintenance Department, working with the Support Services Manager, works to
ensure that every vehicle assigned to the police fleet undergoes required maintenance.
57
Many patrol vehicles are decommissioned due to high mileage and excessive repair
costs. Often times, the repair costs may exceed the current value of the vehicle, which
factors into the decision to decommission a vehicle. We continued our efforts to improve
and upgrade our marked fleet with the purchase of seven additional Ford Explorer SUVs
that were put into service in the spring of 2015. This brings the Pueblo Police
Department’s fleet to a total of eighteen four wheel drive vehicles.
During 2015, Pueblo City Councilman Bob Schilling instituted a project to solicit donations
from local businesses to continue the repainting project of several of the formerly white
marked police vehicles to the new black and white design. In all, six area businesses
donated funds to complete the repainting of six vehicles.
Donors for the repaint project were:
•
•
•
•
•
American Medical Response (AMR)
Keith and Sharon Swerdfeger
KLI Landscape Construction
McDonald’s Restaurants
Pueblo Association of Realtors
• St. Mary Corwin Medical Center
Lo-Jack Program
The Pueblo Police Department’s use of the Lo-Jack Program continued in 2015. During
2015, the Pueblo Police Department Communications Center entered 32 Lo-Jack
equipped vehicles into the Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC) and National Crime
Information Center (NCIC) databases.
Pueblo Police Department officers tracked and recovered 29 L-Jack equipped vehicles,
a 45% increase when compared to the 20 vehicles recovered in 2014. Lo-Jack estimates
the 2015 Colorado statewide recovery value of Lo-Jack equipped vehicles at $2,444,038.
The Pueblo Police Department is responsible for approximately 16.5% of that total, with
local recoveries estimated at $403,655. Recovery values by the Pueblo Police
Department ranged from a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro ($73,800) to a 2003 Ford Focus
($2,750).
License Plate Readers
During 2015, the Crimes Against Property Section of the Criminal Investigation Division
received a grant for the purchase of License Plate Readers (LPRs), which began testing
in January of 2015. LPRs are image-processing technology used to identify vehicles by
their license plates at the rate of about one license plate per second at speeds up to 100
mph. The data collected can be processed in real-time or can be held in a database for
queries at a later time.
58
Established on October 29, 2012, the Community Services Division (CSD) is a vital
component of both the Services Bureau and the entire Pueblo Police Department. The
CSD is composed of one captain, one sergeant (Community Services Sergeant/Public
Information Officer), one officer (Crime Prevention Officer), one part-time employee
(Community Services Division Specialist) and approximately 35 volunteers. The CSD
has many functions, including public information, social media, video development, crime
prevention, policy development, professional accreditation and the operation of the
Department’s volunteer program. Since the establishment of the CSD in late 2012, the
members of the CSD have steadily improved the operation of the CSD’s various
functions, many of which had never been performed at the Pueblo Police Department
prior to the formation of the CSD.
In addition to supervising the
members of the CSD, the
Community Services Sergeant,
Sergeant Eric Gonzales, is also
the Department’s designated
Public Information Officer (PIO).
Prior to the establishment of the
CSD,
the
Pueblo
Police
Department had never had a
designated, full-time PIO. In his
role as PIO, Sergeant Gonzales
has
established
close
relationships with local media
representatives and become a
familiar face on television. Those
Community Services Sergeant Eric Gonzales
close relationships with local
media representatives, along with his familiarity on television, has helped Sergeant
Gonzales to excel in his role as PIO and become a trusted source for information from
the Pueblo Police Department. In 2015, Sergeant Gonzales issued 153 press releases
to the media.
Closely related to Sergeant Gonzales’ role as PIO is
his operation of the Pueblo Police Department’s social
media function.
Sergeant Gonzales established
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts on behalf of
the Department in 2012, soon after the formation of
the CSD. Since that date, the Department’s presence
on social media has steadily grown. Throughout 2015,
the Department’s Facebook page consistently ranked
second among all municipal law enforcement
agencies in the State of Colorado serving jurisdictions
of at least 50,000 residents based on the percentage
of the population that “like” the agencies’ Facebook
pages. In August of 2015, the Department’s Facebook
59
page achieved 10,000 “likes”. This monumental achievement was recognized with the
release of a celebratory video that included members of the Department and the public
celebrating the mutual achievement. As of the close of 2015, the Department’s Facebook
page had approximately 12.500 “likes”. The Department’s strong social media
followership has allowed the Department to increase its communication with the
community and influence the stories that are reported by the media.
Department added the part-time
position of Community Services
Division
Specialist
(CSD
Specialist) to the CSD. The CSD
Specialist position was added to
improve
the
Department’s
effective management and use of
social media and to increase the
amount of content released to the
public via social media. Bonnie
Johnson was hired as the CSD
Specialist in March of 2015 and
immediately excelled in her
position. Mrs. Johnson assisted
Community Services Division Specialist Bonnie Johnson
in responding to inquiries and
comments made by citizens on the Department’s social media outlets, increased the
amount of content released by the Department to the public via social media through the
creation of informational photos and videos, provided internal information technology
training to department members,
CSD Video Production (By Year)
completed miscellaneous tasks in the
CSD, etc.
Mrs. Johnson helped 40
31
increase the number of videos created
for the Department’s YouTube channel 30
from eight in 2014 to thirty-one in 2015.
Mrs. Johnson has been extremely 20
8
valuable to both the CSD and the 10
Pueblo Police Department as a whole,
and the content she will develop in 2016
0
is eagerly anticipated.
2014
2015
The Crime Prevention function of the CSD continued to be fulfilled by Crime Prevention
Officer Brandon Beauvais in 2015. Officer Beauvais successfully managed the
Neighborhood Watch Program, conducted Crime Prevention Through Environmental
Design (CPTED) evaluations, provided crime prevention presentations, developed an
active shooter training outline to be presented to organizations in the community, etc.
With respect to the Neighborhood Watch Program, Officer Beauvais had 34 active groups
as of the close of 2015. Officer Beauvais attended numerous Neighborhood Watch
meetings outside of his normal duty hours, which contributed to the successful growth of
the program in the community.
60
Acting in a dual role, Officer
Beauvais also handled the duties
of Volunteer Coordinator in 2015.
The concept of leveraging the
skills and abilities of volunteers
to
help
the
Department
accomplish tasks on a significant
level was somewhat foreign to
the Pueblo Police Department
prior to the establishment of the
volunteer program in 2013. The
volunteer
program,
called
Volunteers Assisting Pueblo
Police
(V.A.P.P.),
places
individuals who want to help the
Pictured from left to right: Officer Brandon Beauvais, Sergeant Eric
Pueblo Police Department in
Gonzales, Volunteer Steve Levine, Community Services Division
meaningful assignments that
Specialist Bonnie Johnson, Volunteer Ilene Wright, Volunteer Cody
Selves, Volunteer Delia Pizarro, Volunteer Isaac Abila, Volunteer
help the Department accomplish
Kyle Hance, Volunteer Maria Zavala, Volunteer Fernando Vasquez,
tasks that it would not otherwise
Volunteer Sue Cummings, Volunteer Tom Janoski, Volunteer
be able to accomplish. V.A.P.P.
Margo Hatton, Captain Kenny Rider and Volunteer Dennis Reed.
maintained approximately 35
volunteers throughout 2015, who donated a total of 5,498 hours. According to the
independentsector.org, the value of an hour of volunteer service in Colorado in 2014 (the
most recent estimate) was $25.68. Based on the value of an hour of volunteer service in
2014, the total value of the volunteers’ hours of service in 2015 was $141,188.64.
Additionally, since the establishment of V.A.P.P. in 2013, the volunteers have issued
$37,987 worth of handicapped parking violations (if fines are paid). The tangible and
intangible value that volunteers have contributed to the Pueblo Police Department has
not gone unnoticed, as the men and women of the Department are certainly grateful for
their contributions.
Crime Prevention Officer Brandon Beauvais with Santa Claus at
2015 Heroes and Helpers event.
In addition to his crime prevention
and
volunteer management
duties,
Officer
Beauvais
organized several community
events in 2015, including Heroes
and Helpers, National Night Out,
Lowe’s Heroes Program, Tip-ACop for Special Olympics, Toy
Bowl, etc.
Officer Beauvais
managed to accomplish these
achievements despite being
temporarily transferred to the
Patrol Division during the
summer months of 2015 to help
with
manpower
shortages.
Officer Beauvais has been very
61
valuable to the CSD, the Pueblo Police Department and the entire community.
The CSD is charged with the responsibility for
managing the Pueblo Police Department’s Policy
Manual. The foundation of the Department’s Policy
Manual is provided by Lexipol LLC. Lexipol LLC is a
risk management company that provides client
agencies with legally sound and up-to-date policies
based on current statutes, case law and recognized
best practices. The company also provides its client
agencies with Daily Training Bulletins (DTBs), which are scenario-based daily training
exercises designed to provide officers with relevant training on high liability areas of law
enforcement. The Department began its relationship with Lexipol LLC in 2011 and
continued that relationship through the close of 2015. The CSD completed an extremely
large amount of policy modifications in 2015 to meet professional accreditation standards,
and many more policy modifications are anticipated in 2016.
Closely related to the management of the Pueblo Police
Department’s Policy Manual, the CSD is also charged with
the responsibility of maintaining the Pueblo Police
Department’s professional accreditation. The Department
achieved accredited status by the Colorado Association of
Chiefs of Police (CACP) in 2005, and
was reaccredited for a second cycle in
2011. The CSD spent a great deal of time in 2015 preparing for
another assessment by CACP, which is scheduled to take place in
early 2016. With respect to national accreditation, the Department
entered the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement
Agencies (CALEA) law enforcement accreditation program in 2014.
The Department is scheduled to be assessed by CALEA in
December of 2016. If successful, it will mark the first time that the
Department has ever been nationally accredited.
62
The Tactical Services Group is comprised of two specialized teams: the Crisis Negotiation
Team and the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team. The unit has been
established to provide specialized support in handling critical field operations, where
intense negotiations and/or special tactical deployment methods, beyond the capacity of
field officers, appears to be necessary. The mission of the Tactical Services Group is to
save lives by attempting to reduce the risk of injury and loss of life to hostages, innocent
citizens,
law
enforcement
officers,
and
suspects.
Crisis Negotiation Team
The Crisis Negotiation Team, formed in 1992, serves at the direction of the Tactical
Commander of the Tactical Services Group. The negotiators have seen limited use,
thanks to the implementation of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), which responds
initially to many of the incidents which have required negotiators in the past, resolving the
situations without the need for crisis negotiators or the SWAT Team. There were five
incidents in 2015 in which the Crisis Negotiation Team was activated with the SWAT
Team. The Crisis Negotiation Team currently consists of five members, including one
supervisory coordinator. In the past, the Team has had up to ten members. Plans are
underway to increase the number of negotiators on the team in 2016. All crisis negotiators
are CIT certified and have taken advanced training to become coaches who help train
CIT officers. The crisis negotiators meet quarterly for training. Three members of the
team participated in the annual Rocky Mountain Hostage Negotiators quarterly scenariobased training, which provides an opportunity to practice and sharpen their negotiating
skills.
Special Weapons and Tactics Team
The SWAT Team is a designated unit of officers that
are specifically trained and equipped to work as a
coordinated team to resolve critical incidents that are
so hazardous, complex or unusual that they may
exceed the capabilities of first responders or
investigative units. This includes, but is not limited to,
hostage taking, barricaded suspects, high-risk
warrants, active killers, terrorist acts and other highrisk incidents.
The SWAT Team is a collateral assignment. The
team members are assigned to various divisions and
units of the Department, but with the capability to form
as a cohesive, high performing team during crisis or
other situations that require the skills of a SWAT
Team.
63
The SWAT Team maintains an
operational staffing level of 19
members, including one captain
and two sergeants.
The
selection process begins with
an administrative evaluation of
the candidate’s work history,
including
performance
evaluations, discipline record,
sick leave usage and supervisor
recommendation.
Those
candidates chosen to continue
with testing complete a physical
fitness test, firearms proficiency
assessment, oral board and
Members of the Pueblo PD SWAT and PCSO K-9 take a male into
team
evaluation.
Current
custody following a standoff.
members must pass the
physical fitness test twice a year, maintain their firearms proficiency and continue to
demonstrate a level of performance consistent with National Tactical Officers Association
(NTOA) standards.
During 2015 the SWAT Team handled 18 missions, including five incidents of barricaded
suspects, eleven high-risk search/arrest warrants, one open-area search, and one public
event. The SWAT Team gave presentations/demonstrations to several community
groups. With federal grant money, the SWAT Team is acquiring two new shields, which
will enhance their operational capabilities. On top of the SWAT Team’s monthly training,
the Team was able to send two new members to a basic SWAT school, two members to
the Rocky Mountain Tactical Team Association Training Conference where they attended
classes on team leadership and armored rescue vehicle operations, and two members to
a sniper/observer course.
Through constant
assessment and
the
scheduled
ongoing training,
we will continue to
evaluate
and
improve
our
capabilities
with
the goal of being
prepared
to
respond to all
conceivable highrisk incidents in a
professional
manner, striving to
preserve life.
Pueblo Police Department SWAT Team
64
Acknowledgements
The Pueblo Police Department would like to thank those employees who contributed to
this report.
Editor: Officer Lee Medved
Contributors: Chief Luis Velez, Deputy Chief Michael Bennett, Deputy Chief Andrew
McLachlan, Deputy Chief Troy Davenport, Captain Tom Rummel, Captain Jeff Bodmer,
Captain Kenny Rider, Captain Eric Bravo, Captain Brett Wilson, Captain Charlie Taylor,
Captain Chris Noeller, Sergeant Bob Keller, Sergeant Dan Rutherford, Sergeant Steve
Etienne, Sergeant Ken Espinoza, Sergeant Wayne Luizza, Sergeant Mark Duran,
Sergeant Loran Unger, Sergeant Ruben Solano, Sergeant Darren Velarde, Sergeant Eric
Gonzales, Sergeant Howard Jackson, Sergeant Dustin Taylor, Sergeant Todd Coxen,
Officer Heather Smith, Dispatch Manager Laura Wittrup, Records Supervisor Cathy
Helton, Support Services Manager Kim Wittrup, Code Compliance Unit Supervisor Karen
Willson and Lead Chaplain Douglas Cox.
Photography and design: Sergeant Eric Gonzales and Volunteer Alan Anderson.
For more information about the Pueblo Police Department and the material in the report,
please contact: Captain Kenny Rider, Community Services Division, (719) 553-2594.
Visit us at www.pueblo.us/police
www.pueblo.us
65
RY DEPENDABILITY
ON ETHICS PUEBLO
Y HONESTY DIGNITY
UL VALUES POLICE
TY BRAVERY LIBERTY
M HERO DEPARTMENT
AW ENFORCEMENT
NSIBLE JUSTICE 2015
UALITY PUBLIC FAITH
DING RISK ANNUAL
PROTECT HUMANITY
EXCELLENCE REPORT
DIVIDUAL HONOR
66

PPD 2015 Annual Report

Transcription

Similar documents

Basic CMYK - The Pueblo Chieftain

italian hall renovation begins las angelitas announces 2013

the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

Indian Country—May 2011

RoboCam

Bluffs Acres ~ 1801 Pueblo Rd. Make/Model: Bonnavilla

mensajero - Mi Pueblo

Philly 2015 flyer3

Elena Ford, Why haven`t you responded to my