The Briefing Room August 2014
Changing of the Guard
Sheriff Tony Spurlock 1
Former Sheriff David A. Weaver
THE BRIEFING ROOM The magazine of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office 4000 Justice Way Castle Rock, CO 80109 303.660.7500
COVER STORY: Changing of the Guard On July 23, 2014, 18th Judicial District Judge Paul A. King judge swore in Tony Spurlock as the 33rd sheriff of Douglas County. He took over for Sheriff David A. Weaver, who was appointed by the Douglas County Republican Party Vacancy Committee to serve the remaining term of former Douglas County Commissioner Jack Hilbert, who resigned his seat. Becoming sheriff fulfills a lifelong dream for Spurlock. “This is an exciting time in law enforcement,” Sheriff Spurlock said. “I know it’s going to be a challenging and rewarding ride.”
Did you know?
Inside this issue: Message from Sheriff Tony Spurlock
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Behind the Badge with Undersheriff Holly Nicholson-Kluth
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Fighting Wildfire with Wildland Fire Hand Crew
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National Night Out in Douglas County
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COVER STORY Changing of the guard
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Leaving a Legacy - the impact of former Sheriff David A. Weaver
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There’s a new sheriff in town
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Sheriff Spurlock’s Command Staff
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The sheriffs of Douglas County
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Tony’s married to Stacy Spurlock and they have four grown children
They’ve lived in Douglas County for 17 years
Stacy had the honor of pinning on the third star to Tony’s collar during his swearing-in ceremony.
Welcome to the DCSO Steve Johnson Farewell Janell McDonald
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Tony has served with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office since 1980.
The Big Chill - DCSO accepts challenge to get cold and wet
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Explorers take names in competition
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Preparing for the worst - DCSAR training
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Public notice meeting
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Howling Good Time for K-9’s
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Fun on the Fourth
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DCSO’s Honor Guard attends the National Law Enforcement Memorial
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New app to stop hit and runs
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Help for parents with troubled teens fundraiser
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New bullet proof vests for brave K-9’s
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15th Annual Blue Thunder Memorial Ride
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Protect your valuables
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New twists on old scams
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READ CHANGING OF THE GUARD, pages 8-19.
For questions, comments or to get your content in the Briefing Room, contact Publisher & Editor Deborah Sherman at DSherman@DCSheriff.net
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As
TONY SPURLOCK, DOUGLAS COUNTY SHERIFF
your Sheriff, I will continue to work to improve safety and security in Douglas County by focusing on new technologies, aging adults and mental illness. We now use state-of-the-art technology to reduce crime and traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities. The Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety or DDACTS, analyzes our geography to pinpoint the highest rates of crashes and crimes. Our deputies then conduct heavy enforcement in those areas during peak times. Since the program was implemented, crime rates and traffic accidents have been reduced in those target areas. Douglas County not only has the fastest growing population in Colorado (and ranks 16th in the nation), the population is also aging. According to the state Demography Office, by 2030, it’s estimated that one in four residents will be 60 or older – about 24% of our population. That’s why we’ve dedicated more resources to help seniors and prevent them from becoming easy marks for criminals. Among other things, we’ve assigned a victim advocate to the Douglas County Adult Protection team. We’re also providing training, working closely with prosecutors and compiling resources to meet the needs, concerns and issues of older adults. DCSO is also the chair of the Seniors’ Council of Douglas County. The council is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for older adults by providing information and outreach.
because first responders can locate people quickly, reducing the risk of harm and death in extreme conditions. The program also saves money because it reduces the amount of time and number of first responders needed to find the missing.
Another task we’ve taken on is helping the growing population of the mentally ill. In the last decade, the number of people taken into custody to protect them from hurting themselves or others increased 289% and suicide calls increased 312%, while the county’s population only increased 30% during the same time. Using Crisis Intervention Teams, our deputies For aging adults who may wander from home, we offer Colorado Life have been trained to recognize mental illness and intervene early and proTrak. The program places radio transmitters in wristbands for people any age who might get lost or go missing. Colorado Life Trak saves lives actively. The goal is to help the mentally ill with their concerns before the situation escalates.
The Briefing Room, a magazine of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office 3
Behind the Badge with Undersheriff Holly Nicholson-Kluth
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n July 23, Holly Nicholson-Kluth went down in history as the first female undersheriff in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Newly-elected Sheriff Tony Spurlock chose Holly as his second in-command. He simply said, “Holly is the most qualified person for the job.” Nicholson-Kluth was previously the Administrative Services Bureau Chief which managed the Detention Division, Court Security, Civil Warrants, Information Technology and Dispatch. She held that job for five years. Before that, she was chief of the Law Enforcement Bureau and oversaw Patrol and Investigations. Over the years, she’s served in numerous other positions and leadership roles. As your Undersheriff, you can expect more advances in technology that help solve crimes, make it easier for residents to use DCSO services and make operations more efficient.
Did you know?
Holly Nicholson-Kluth is the longest serving female in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, hired in 1989. She’s worked in Patrol, Investigations and was chief of both bureaus.
She’s married to a Littleton Police Officer and they have two children.
She served as director of the Colorado Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory from 2001 through 2004.
Nicholson-Kluth has specialized training in Computer Forensics and holds an A+ Computer certification.
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DCSO’S Wildland Fire Hand Crew at work in Spruce Mountain Open Space 5
The Douglas County Wildland Fire Crew works hard to reduce hazardous fuels, improve emergency responder access, and mitigate the threat of wildfire across unincorporated Douglas County. July 23, 2014 Spruce Mountain Open Space
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Reported by Michael Alexander, DCSO Emergency Management
We
Franktown, Jackson-105 and South Metro Fire Districts.
DCSO Wildland Fire Team currently has 15 members on the roster. All DCSO Team members are active, full-time employall know the Douglas ees of the sheriff’s office. Some are deputies, dispatchers and County Sheriff’s Office specializes in specialists. The Wildland Team is supervised by DCSO Office protecting and serving our residents of Emergency Management staff members who have extenfrom crime. You might not know that sive wildland firefighting experience. it also works hard to protect people The Wildland Team trains together every two weeks in the and property from Douglas County’s classroom or in the field. Field work typically consists of fitnumber one natural hazard, wildfire. ness training and chainsaw projects that aim to reduce hazIn 2013, DCSO joined with local fire ardous wildfire fuels and improve firefighter access. protection districts to create a joint Wildland Fire Hand Crew. Hand crews are specially trained CLICK Photo to suppress and mop up wildfires using chainsaws and hand tools in remote areas that vehicles can’t access. Hand crews TO WATCH are unique and valuable resources well suited to operate in THE Douglas County’s beautiful yet rugged terrain. Before this partnership, we relied on interagency assistance from federWILDLAND al, state and local cooperators. In addition to the DCSO team, the joint Douglas County Hand Crew has volunteer and paid firefighters from Larkspur,
FIRE CREW IN ACTION
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Handshakes - Laughter - New connections
was a chance to get to know neighbors, talk about reducing crime, and meet the men and women in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO). People across DougCo celebrated National Night Out (NNO) on August 5 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00p.m. Sheriff Tony Spurlock said, “Events like this are what make our community a safe place to live and work.” NNO hopes to reduce property crime by having neighbors get out of their houses, turn on porch lights and get to know each and their local law enforcement. Neighborhood Watch Groups pre-registered with DCSO and hosted block parties with deputies, firefighters, prosecutors and others as special guests. DCSO’s new Sheriff Tony Spurlock met a lot of new folks and kids got to meet our K-9s and their handlers, motorcycle deputies, see the Race-A-Cop car, patrol bus, jail bus, crime scene van, meet SWAT members, park rangers, McGruff the Crime-fighting Dog, our CSVs (Community Safety Volunteers), pet our horses part of the Mounted Patrol, meet firefighters and much more. The evening gives people a chance to meet their public safety official when there are no emergencies to worry about. It’s always fun for us; we hope it’s fun for you, too. Even though the night is fun filled, we also ask residents to remember to be safe and practice good crime prevention by closing their garage doors, locking their doors, and turning on their porch lights. Hope to see you again next year! Have questions about the program? Email Tom Cornelius in Community Resources at TCorneli@DCSheriff.net. (Please note the abbreviated spelling of his last name in the email address.) 9
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Newly appointed Sheriff Tony Spurlock poses with David A. Weaver, former sheriff and current Douglas County Commissioner July 23.2014
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Sheriff David A. Weaver
Leaving a
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Legacy
n 1981, I pinned on a badge at DCSO as a deputy in the Detention Division. I worked my way up the ranks serving as a corporal in Patrol, a sergeant in Detention, a lieutenant in Internal Affairs and then managing the daily operations of the office as undersheriff. You elected me as your sheriff on November 7, 2006; the only person to become sheriff after advancing from deputy in the history of the office. There are many things I’m proud of during my administration, but none more so than the people I work beside every day. The people here are truly special. There’s no way to express the gratitude I have for the men and women who provide a service to the residents of Douglas County and the entire state - protecting our communities. They make sacrifices every day of their lives, missing anniver12
saries, birthdays, vacations, to put other people first. I am blessed to have worked with the people in this organization. I’m also proud of our Triple Crown Award; a team effort that places us among the top one-percent of excellent law enforcement agencies in the world. The National Sheriffs’ Association gave us the distinguished award in 2013 after we earned accreditation from the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies, the American Correctional Association’s Commission on Accreditation for Corrections and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care. The Douglas County Regional 911 Communication Center also received the initial Accreditation Award for Public Safety Communications from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies in 2013. All of that means we use the best practices in law enforcement and provide excellent service. In 2013, our Justice Center facility expansion continued, preparing us for more calls for service, court caseloads and inmates in the future. Among other things, the new facilities will address serious concerns about inmates with mental illness and medical issues and provide extra site security. In 2011, we built the DCSO substation in Highlands Ranch to meet the growing needs of the population there. New school safety programs put in place in 2013 are helping keep our children safe in classrooms. DCSO deputies who are school marshals work closely with students and school staff to enhance safety measures every day.
then the school district chose one work of art from each school in 2013 to display permanently. We hope the artists will visit the gallery with their own children someday and that it will bring together future generations. It was also a time of implementing state-of-the-art technology to improve service for residents. We made records more accessible online, started new electronic ticketing and payment, and helped implement and secure funding for the statewide program VINE that helps victims of crimes track their offenders through the legal process. We also upgraded emergency notifications with CodeRED which allows first responders to reach you just about anywhere during a disaster. This year, more residents than ever volunteered to work at DCSO in the jail, victim services, patrol, records and other areas. The volunteers dedicate thousands of hours a month to help keep Douglas County safe and help save precious taxpayer dollars. It’s always about the people. Nothing during my administration would have been possible without your help and the hard work and dedication of our employees and volunteers. To you, I say thanks for supporting the DCSO. To the people I work beside every day, I thank you for doing an outstanding job, day in and day out, during my 33 years. It has been a honor and a privilege to work with you. Always remember your oath. Take care of yourself and your families and never forget the people you serve.
Our Youth Education and Safety in Schools and School Resource Officers also help create a layered approach to protecting students. In celebration of Douglas County’s 150th anniversary in 2011, we created a permanent student art gallery in our Highlands Ranch substation. We invited students to submit a drawing or painting, 13
News about the new Sheriff scrolled across the Denver Post building on July 23, 2014
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ony Spurlock became the 33rd Sheriff of Douglas County on July 23, 2014. Before that, he served as undersheriff for former Sheriff David A. Weaver. As the Chief Administrative Officer, he directed and supervised operations, including administration, Patrol, Investigations, Professional Standards, Support Services, Detention, the Office of Emergency Management and Budget and Logistics.
FBI National Academy. Tony was appointed as chair of the CO Domestic Violence Offender Treatment Board by Governor Bill Owens in 2001. He’s served as the chair of the 18th Judicial District Victim Assistance Law Enforcement Fund, which provides training funds. Tony was named Officer of the Year in 2002 by the 18th Judicial District. He served as the SWAT commander for five years. He’s also led the 18th Judicial District’s Critical Incident Team.
Tony has worked at the DCSO since 1980 and serves as He’s honored to take the reins and uphold the values an instructor for the Colorado District Attorneys of the DCSO which are judgment, unity, skill, trust, Council and the County Sheriffs of Colorado. He at- ingenuity, courage and empowerment. tended Metro State College and is a graduate of the 14
There’s a new sheriff in town Sheriff Tony Spurlock
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Undersheriff Holly Nicholson-Kluth
Chief Deputy Tim Moore Administrative Services Bureau
Chief Deputy Steve Johnson Law Enforcement Bureau
Captain Darren Weekly
Captain Jason Kennedy
Captain Kevin Duffy
Captain Robert McMahan
Captain Brad Heyden
Patrol Division
Investigations Division
Detention Division
Professional Standards Division
Support Services Division
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Meet Sheriff Spurlock’s Command Staff The commmanders entrusted to help keep the county safe
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Sheriff Tony Spurlock (July 23, 2014-present), former Sheriff Mike Acree (2003-2005), former Sheriff Steve Zotos (1983-2003) and former Sheriff David Weaver (2005-2014)
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Sheriff Hammond 1948
Sheriff George Nickson 1922
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Johnson’s wife pins on his stars as Chief Deputy of the Law Enforcement Bureau for Sheriff Tony Spurlock
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Welcome to DCSO Former Deputy Director of the CO Bureau of Investigation joins DCSO command staff
“I’m very proud to have him join the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. His top priorities will be public safety and public service.” --Sheriff Tony Spurlock said about Steve Johnson.
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Johnson was Deputy Director of Investigations for the Colorado Bureau of Investigations. The sheriff, who had admired Johnson’s work and abilities for years, said he decided he had to have Johnson on his command alling him “very bright” and “experienced”, Sheriff To- staff. ny Spurlock swore-in Steve Johnson to his command team on August 4 at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. As deputy director of the CBI, Johnson led major state investigations including high-profile murders, drug rings, public corruption and more. Johnson took the oath as Spurlock’s Chief Deputy of the Law EnforceJohnson has worked in law enforcement for 34 years. He joined the CBI ment Bureau which oversees Patrol and Investigations. as an agent in 2001 following a 21 year career at Littleton Police Department. He and his wife have lived in Douglas County for 28 years and “It’s truly my honor and privilege to have been given this opportunity by have two grown children and a young granddaughter. Sheriff Spurlock to do this and work shoulder-to-shoulder with the men **Fun fact about Steve Johnson: He started his career in law enforceand women in the office,” said Johnson. “I’m going to do everything I ment in 1980 for Littleton PD as a 9-1-1 dispatcher. can to advocate for them so that they have everything they need to do **Johnson’s son and daughter’s husband are also in the law enforcetheir jobs.” ment field.
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HAPPY RETIREMENT!! Janell McDonald Investigations Division “It’s been such a pleasure working with all of you over the last 13 years! You are an incredible group of professionals who have become my friends and family. I am very proud to have been a part of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Captain Kevin Duffy, Janell’s commander
Thanks for the memories and take care of each other! “ --Janell McDonald
Janell talks to the media last year about a state-ofthe-art database called SOTAR which is used to track sex offenders across the state. This comprehensive database has helped law enforcement multiple times quickly pinpoint suspects and solve cases. 22
The BIG CHILL Douglas County cops take the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money for the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund
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ow, that’s just coooooollllllld! The Parker Police Department challenged employees in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to dump ice water on themselves. It was for good reason though. Parker PD is raising money for the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund which benefits surviving family members who have lost a loved one in the line of duty. On August 2, 2014, the DCSO accepted the challenge and soaked up more than $1,000 from friends, family members and DCSO employees. Special thanks to the South Metro Fire Department which agreed to hose us down. The rules are simple, record yourself getting a bucket of ice water dumped over your head and call out the next five challenges on social media. If you do not accept the challenge, you must donate $100 to the charity. The Parker Chief of Police, David King and Mayor Mike Waid along with officers, staff and volunteers of the Parker Police Department sent out ice bucket challenges to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Lone Tree Police Department, Castle Rock Police Department, Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and Rosenberg, Texas Police Department. Our staff thought that was cool, er, freezing. Watch the fun videos by clicking on the photos below.
Watch DCSO Deputy Buckner get dumped on
Watch more DCSO deputies get soaked!
click on pictures to watch videos
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long with competing in the Explorer Regional Conference, the Explorers will be having their annual open house on August 26, 2014 at 6:00-8:00 pm. The location will be at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in the Patrol/Detention Briefing rooms: 4000 Justice Way, Castle Rock, CO 80109 The DCSO Explorer Post 10-4 traveled to Gunnison Colorado for this year’s annual LEEPAAC (Law Enforcement Advisor Association of Colorado) Regional Conference. DCSO had eleven of our explorers and five of our explorer advisors attended this year’s conference. Our explorers represented the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office very well; they brought back 9 different awards for all of their hard work in preparing for this event. The Explorer Advisors of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office worked with all of our explorers getting them ready for this event for several months. The Explorers themselves spent several hours honing their skills to be ready. It was obvious that they all did a great job and worked well together. Douglas County Sheriff’s Office own Captain Weekly was invited by LEEPAAC to be the keynote speaker at this year’s opening ceremonies. DCSO Explorers competed in the following team events: High Risk Entry, High Risk Traffic Stops, Death Investigations, Haz-Mat/ICS, Suspicious Occurrence and Passive Resistance They also had the opportunity to compete in the following individual competitions: DUI Investigations, Traffic Stops and Crisis Instigations Our Explorers won in the following events:
1st place in Haz-Mat/ICS; Explorer Lieutenant Jacob Martin 1st place in Traffic Stops; Explorer Lieutenant Jacob Martin 2nd place in Haz-Mat/ICS; Explorer Sergeant Sol Atencio 2nd place in High Risk Entry; Explorer Justin Alvis 2nd Place in Suspicious Occurrence; Explorer Trevor Rademacher 2nd place in DUI Investigations; Explorer Sergeant Joshua Anderson 3rd place in High Risk Entry; Explorer Sergeant Joshua Anderson 4th place in Passive Resistance; Explorer Sergeant Joshua Anderson 5th place Death Investigations; Explorer Jack Zimmerman
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Douglas County Search and Rescue Douglas County Search & Rescue train to deal with a mass casualty forest fire and helicopter crash
On Sunday July 27th, Douglas County Search and Rescue held a training exercise simulating a mass casualty incident, said Field Director Paul Ashton. An area of open space in Founders Village, Castle Rock became an imaginary forested area where a downed helicopter injured people being evacuated from a forest fire. Theatrical make-up created realistic looking injuries and the “patients� used their best acting skills to create as much realism as possible. Douglas County Search and Rescue responded to respond to the mock incident. They assessed the situation, treated the wounded and organized relief efforts, prioritized and managed the crisis. The exercise provided valuable medical and logistics training for the team which continuing works to improve its response methods. Douglas County Search and Rescue is a non-profit, all volunteer team dedicated to providing search, rescue and emergency response to the citizens of Douglas County, Colorado.
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Open Public Meeting Announced for FEMAapproved Hazard Mitigation Plans Local jurisdictions are required to have FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plans to better position resources in advance of a disaster and to qualify for mitigation funding from FEMA. Douglas County is the lead agency for updating the multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan County-wide. The Douglas County Facilities, Fleet & Emergency Support Services and Douglas County Office of Emergency Management invite the public to participate in the planning effort. Other participating agencies include Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch Metro District, Larkspur, Library District, Lone Tree, Parker, School District, and numerous state and federal agencies.
The Open Public Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 6:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the Douglas County Events Center, 500 Fairgrounds Drive in Castle Rock.
For additional information, please call Anne L. Walton at 303.814.4356.
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Fourth of July i
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in Highlands Ranch
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Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Receives K9 Protective Vest from Nationwide Groupon Campaign
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he Douglas County Sheriff’s Office K9 Zoos has received a ballistic vest thanks to a nationwide GROUPON EVENT that raised more than $335,000.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., a 501c(3) organization is still accepting donations through their website: www.vik9s.org and via mail P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718.
In 2013, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. partnered with Groupon DCSO is thankful to Vested Interest in K9’s for all of their and was named as one of “The Best of 2013” campaigns. The support and to all the wonderful people that contributed to this nonprofit raised $155,537.33 in just one week, which providincredible fundraising event. Deputy Tucker, K9 Zoos’ haned ballistic vests for 163 law enforcement dogs in 30 dler said it gives him solace to know his partner, whom is states. There are an estimated 30,000 police dogs throughout trained to give his life for him and his community, now has the United States. added protection. The “Occasions ” campaign for Groupon Grassroots to outfit police K9’s with bullet and stab protective vests ran February 15th through March 5th at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. was the nationwide non-profit organization and charity partner selected by Groupon Grassroots to participate. The online $10 donation suggested interested persons purchase a GROUPON (a tax deductible donation) through the secure website where all funds were allocated to purchase ballistic vests for our four-legged crime fighters who put their lives on the line for the community and their partner. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. will be providing over 350 law enforcement dogs nationwide with the protective body armor in memory of K9 Rocco of the Pittsburgh Police Department who sacrificed his life in the line of duty in January of 2014. All vests will be embroidered with the sentiment, "In Memory of K9 Rocco, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police".
ABOUT VESTED INTEREST IN K9S, INC. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) charity located in East Taunton, MA. Whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. Each vest costs $950.00 and has a 5 year warranty. The nonprofit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four legged K9 Officers. Through private and corporate sponsorships, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 1047 law enforcement dogs in 39 states with protective vests since 2009. The organization orders the U.S. made vests exclusively from distributor Regency Police Supply in Hyannis, MA. Who also does the custom embroidery on the body armor. New K9 graduates as well as K9's with expired vests are eligible to participate. The program is open to law enforcement dogs who are US employed, certified and at least 19 months of age. For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508824-6978. Tax deductible donations and event listings are via the website: www.vik9s.org.
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he Ron King Organization invites you to the 15th anniversary of the Blue Thunder Memorial Ride.
There will be a pancake breakfast provided by Flippin’ Flapjacks, and the Colorado Emerald Society’s Pipes and Drums will perform. We will also have live music provided by Vivid Black at the Platter River Grill. Also, we are very excited to have a special guest and her family attending to receive her $1000.00 scholarship. Motorcycles, cars, trucks, hot rods and any other vehicle, are welcome to participate in the poker run. Visit the website for more ride details and pre-registration www.ronkingorganization.org Registration: Douglas County Diesel 1160 Caprice Dr. Castle Rock 8 am- bikes out at 9:30 am Registration Fee: $25 (passengers are free) 10$ lunch special offer at the Platte River Grill
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Douglas County Sheriff’s Office recommends online system to help residents keep track of valuables
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heriff Tony Spurlock encourages all residents to use a free online system that will help keep track of valuable --- and invaluable --- personal property. ReportIt is a free, secure online service allowing citizens to record serial numbers and upload images for phones, electronics, and other valuables. Should those items ever be stolen, having the information will go a long way in accurately and quickly identifying your property. Residents can access the site at reportit.leadsonline.com. Sheriff Spurlock says “this is another tool for our agency that will help solve more crime. We encourage our citizens to track their personal property using this free online system.” The ReportIt service is a part of LeadsOnline, the online system that works with police across the country to track and recover stolen property. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office uses LeadsOnline to help track and recover stolen property ---- everything from jewelry to sporting equipment to electronics, computers, cameras, and other items such as designer clothing, collectibles, and other items with invaluable personal worth. The system allows detectives to search for the items using a variety of parameters, including item descriptions and serial numbers. When an item is sold to a pawn or secondhand shop, the product information is entered in the LeadsOnline database and is immediately viewable by participating law enforcement agencies across the country. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has been using LeadsOnline for the past two years and has reported many successes using the online investigations system. Using LeadsOnline, The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office have recovered thousands of dollars in stolen property for Douglas County and surrounding residents. Recently, the LeadsOnline system helped detectives recover $57,000 worth of stolen jewelry. Other recovered items have included valuable jewelry, cameras, iPods, tools, computers and GPS units. With information provided by LeadsOnline, law enforcement can track down thieves, develop leads in numerous cases and make arrests . 37
scam.
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hark-a-gram…or maybe it’s the IRS or Canada calling with news that you’ve won the lottery. Just hang up. It’s a
that they have arrested the first criminal who was trying to steal the money and it is now safe for the victim to claim the money they won after they pay the taxes and/or fees on it. Tip: It’s a scam. Hang up. One phone number used by the scammer is 360831-9269 BUT any phone number should be suspect. Law enfor ment officers won’t call and threaten to arrest you unless you send money. The bottom line; Criminals can be very persuasive, sophisticated, and sometimes very threatening, but don’t fall for these scams.
Yesterday, they said you’d won sweepstakes. Today, they’re pretending to be the IRS saying you owe back taxes. Tomorrow, it’ll be your If you have any question about the legitimacy of a story you are being granddaughter/grandson/friend emailing you from overseas saying told, please call the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at 303-660-7544, or call your local police department for help. Never try to confirm the they’ve lost their wallet/purse and need money. legitimacy of the story you are being told by calling a number the criminal gives you. Just hang up. Delete the email. It’s a scam. The criminals disappear after they get your money and they’re virtually If you have been victimized, the criminals may put your name on a list of easy targets for other criminals. That list can be sold to other crimiimpossible to trace. nals and you may receive threats and scams over and over again from many criminals and many places. The new approaches: Criminals are using well-known sweepstakes names to add to the credibility of their scams. Tip: Legitimate sweepstakes companies BE SMART – CALL LAW ENFORCEMENT IF YOU THINK YOU ARE BEING SCAMMED! won’t ask you to send money to get your prize Criminals usually target older, more vulnerable adults – Tip: please warn your older friends/relatives they could be scammed. Some criminals are now asking victims to buy a pre-paid debit card at a store and put a certain amount of money on the card instead of having the victim wire the money to them. Then, they ask for the account number from the money card. As soon as the criminal has the account number they immediately cash the money out and disappear. Another twist involves a second phone call from a different criminal telling the victim that they are an agent from the FBI or some other law enforcement agency. They pretend the victim really did win a large amount of money, but the first caller was a scam artist who was trying to steal the money from them. Then, the alleged law enforcement agent (the second criminal) then tells the victim 38