Week of May 5, 2022
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An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 24
County mental health program making strides Thousands of contacts made in first years BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When a man in a rural part of Arapahoe County called 911 for help during a mental health crisis, he
County clerks reassure voters while watching for cyberattacks Officials push back against fraud claims, stay alert BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
While local counties’ clerks and recorders say they are still taking steps to unravel false claims of widespread election fraud two years after the 2020 presidential election and ahead of the June primaries, they are also on the lookout for potential cyberattacks after warnings from President Joe Biden that such attacks are increasingly likely. “It’s definitely nerve-wracking, but something that we are SEE WATCHING, P10
asked for a sheriff’s deputy to take him to a facility that could treat his condition. But when the deputy patted the man down, he found the man had brass knuckles — a prohibited weapon — and the man received a ticket. The man, who has a wife and kids and had served in the military, was facing jail time. But the staff at the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office
reached out to the right officials and gave the man a referral to mental health services, and his criminal charge was eventually dismissed. “That was a really good story we recently had,” said Julie Jacobs, manager for the sheriff’s office’s Behavioral Health Response Program. Jacobs said the story is about an east Arapahoe County man, who spent about three months going
back and forth with the court system earlier this year. Deputies can’t ignore evidence of a crime, Jacobs said, but the mental health staff at the sheriff’s office tries to put the focus on getting help for people in mental health crisis instead of putting them on a path to jail. SEE STRIDES, P4
Rep. Jason Crow talks veterans’ health care, Russia, economy Boosting manufacturing amid supply chain issues is a priority BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Issues both local and global weighed on U.S. Rep. Jason Crow’s mind when he held an online and telephone town hall event to answer questions from the public. Those issues included his concerns with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, an act Crow called “illegal and just atrocious.” “One of the things we’ve seen with Putin’s (war) is how much we really rely on dictators and autocrats and strongmen around the world for our energy. It has to stop,” said Crow, who represents a large part of the south, east and north Denver metro area in Congress. He was proud to support a bill that prevents the United States from SEE CROW, P20
Rep. Jason Crow
FILE PHOTO BY DAVID GILBERT
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
STAYING WILD
Colorado strives to protect wildlife and land P14