CIRT investigating a death at Detention Services Division facility

PUBLIC NOTICES

The Critical Incident Response Team investigates all in-custody deaths

BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

James Jarvis was found unresponsive in his county jail cell at the Detention Services Division facility suddenly on Feb. 4 late in the evening by his cellmate. Deputies attempted “life-saving measures,” as well as calling for medical sta and the Golden Fire Department, according to the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce. He was pronounced dead in his cell.

e sheri ’s o ce announced Jarvis’ death in a statement Feb. 5., marking the rst in-custody death this year. Since 2020, there have been four.

“Beginning less than two years ago, it was the consensus of the CEOs of law enforcement agencies in the First Judicial District that (the Critical Incident Response Team) shall be utilized to investigate any death of a person while under the care and control of a law enforcement o cer acting under the color of o cial law enforcement duties,” Director of Public A airs for the Colorado First Judicial District Attorney’s O ce Brionna Boatright told Colorado Community Media.

“So, for us, even in situations involving a death where there is no reasonable belief that a law enforcement o cer engaged with or contributed to the decedent’s death, CIRT will respond and conduct an independent and thorough investigation, just as they would in a use of force situation,” she added. CIRT is currently investigating Jarvis’ death, according to Boatright. e most recent in-custody death before Jarvis was in June of 2022, when Sierra Sandoval, 22, died while in transport to the Je co Detention Facility. e DA’s O ce ruled there was “no evidence that law enforcement was criminally re- e fourth in-custody death was of Lasoro Aguilar on Aug. 10, 2020. Unlike the others, this situation began with Arvada Police Department o cers responding to a 911 call, according to CIRT’s report. e autopsy stated “the main, and possibly only, factor in the death of Mr. Aguilar” was methamphetamines. CIRT reports, which mainly investigate situations where ofcers used, or attempted to use, deadly force against someone, can be found on the DA O ce’s website going back to 2016. Within those reports, there are no other cases of in-custody deaths.

Before that was the death of Rich2021. Booked for a felony domestic violence o ense, the DA’s O ce determined there was no one criminally responsible for his death. It was ruled a suicide.

About a month before that, Damion White, 26, was ruled dead also by fentanyl intoxication while in a work release program. CIRT’s investigation found no evidence that law enforcement engaged with White at the time of his death.

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