Colorado

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

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Golden Real Estate has proudly cosponsored this unique film festival for at least a decade. For the first time since 2020, the festival is back live at the American Mountaineering Center (AMC) in downtown Golden Feb. 23-26, but most of the films can also be viewed with an online pass starting the following week.

During the pandemic, the festival (“CEFF”) was only virtual, and I loved it because I was able to see far more films than I could have seen in person.

Meanwhile, if you go online to http:// ceff2023.eventive.org/films, you get to read descriptions and view trailers for all 97 films in the festival. At right is a screenshot from that website, showing just three of those films’ thumbnails. I was particularly drawn to “The Power 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 responsible” and found her death to be related to fentanyl intoxication.

Before that was the death of Richard Leroy Stichter, 37, on Oct. 15, 2021. 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

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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.

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 o cers 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.