Dear CDPS members,
This time of year is all about gratitude and about family -- whether it's the family you were born into, your work family, or the family you choose.
I am so very thankful to have you as my CDPS family, and it has been such a gift to serve as the Executive Director of this amazing organization.
Many of you have asked me: what's next? I have submitted my application to the transition team that is assisting Governor-elect Polis with the selection of his cabinet. My hope is to continue to serve as the CDPS Executive Director. That decision lies in the hands of our incoming Governor and his transition team, with a tentative timeline of completing the selections before the end of the calendar year. I will certainly let you know as soon as I have received confirmation regarding their decision and have been given the go-ahead to announce it.
In the meantime, we are already working hard to prepare for the legislative session ahead, and of course we continue to focus on the everyday work of making Colorado communities safer and more resilient. I am incredibly grateful to you for your dedication towards this shared goal!
--Stan Hilkey
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Calendar
*Please request holiday leave in Kronos if you take off on these dates.
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No More Smoking or Vaping on State Property
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On Nov. 2, 2018, Governor John Hickenlooper issued Executive Order B 2018 011 establishing that smoking, vaping, and the sale of tobacco products, vaping products, and e-cigarettes are prohibited in all buildings and on all grounds owned or leased by the State under the control of the executive branch. This Executive Order extends the current prohibition on smoking in state buildings to e-cigarettes and vaping. It also extends prohibitions on smoking and vaping to the grounds of state buildings, not just the buildings themselves (i.e. it creates smoke free campuses).
Please do not smoke or vape on the grounds of state buildings, including CDPS campus/office locations.
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Lean Team Tackles Bulk Computer Orders
A cross-functional team from EDO, DHSEM, and OIT held multiple problem-solving meetings to make the process of bulk ordering computers more efficient. They established the scope of their improvement effort, broke down the pain points into root causes, assigned action items and developed a new process to submit one large order to cover the majority of computer needs for the year.
Improvements Achieved:
- Time savings: submitting one order is faster than repeating the process several times throughout the year.
- Increased accuracy of the inventory list for CDPS devices.
- Improved tracking of warranty dates.
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Green Tip: Purchase Products with Less Environmental Impact
Did you know? The
State of Colorado has a policy stating that its employees should aim to "reduce consumption, waste, and possible environmental impacts by considering life cycle when making purchasing decisions."
Pages 8-14 of the policy offer recommendations on how we can adjust our purchasing habits to have less impact on the environment.
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Our Public Safety Mission in Action
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DHSEM Provides Election-night Support through State EOC
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DHSEM activated the Colorado State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on November 6, 2018, to provide support and coordination to state agencies and local jurisdictions before, during and after the 2018 Midterm Election in order to prevent, protect, respond to and recover from election-related incidents.
DHSEM's CIAC Cybersecurity Team also provided support to the Secretary of State’s Office leading up to the election. The CIAC worked with the Secretary of State to run tests to ensure our elections systems were protected during the election.
In a thank-you message, the Secretary of State said,
"...Colorado has taken information sharing and awareness, relationship building, and working across organizational boundaries in the face of threats to democracy to new levels in the past two years. I believe everything we have begun to build will be even more critical to our preparation and execution in future elections, and that we will continue to grow and mature. It is an honor to work with such a collection of smart and dedicated individuals. Thank you for everything, and we look forward to continuing to work together in the future!”
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DFPC Has Responded to nearly 500 Fires in 2018
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As of Nov. 1, DFPC Wildland Fire Management had responded to 466 in-state wildfires and 30 out-of-state wildfires, for a total of nearly 500 wildfires. DFPC members worked a total of more than 51,000 hours on the various fires! Additionally, Wildland Fire Management has provided technical assistance in 420 incidents.
So far in 2018, 18 wildfires have met state responsibility criteria and exceeded the capabilities of the county, triggering the state to provide management and financial assistance of over $40 million. The number of these incidents is the second highest on record, trailing only 2002. In comparison, in 2016 and 2017
combined there were 16 wildland fires that became state responsibility fires, and of those, nine received an Executive Order and funding from the Disaster Emergency Fund.
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CBI Contributes to Help Ensure Justice in Triple Homicide
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On Nov. 19, Chris Watts was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to all 9 counts that he was charged with, including three counts of 1st degree murder, for killing his pregnant wife, Shanann, and his two young daughters, Celeste and Bella.
CBI employees from multiple disciplines put extensive time, energy, and skill into the investigation of this tragic case. Their contributions helped play a role in providing prosecutors with a strong case that helped serve as an incentive for Watts to agree to plead guilty.
"I could not be more proud of our agency and all of you. Some degree of justice for Shanann, Bella, and Celeste was served today, and each of you, directly or indirectly, had a key role in that outcome," CBI Director John Camper wrote to CBI employees.
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State Patrol Launches "Hidden Scars" Video Series
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On Nov. 13, the Colorado State Patrol introduced a new video series entitled "#HiddenScars" on their social media channels in conjunction with National Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week. The videos feature a new responder each Tuesday, and explore how incidents and tragedies go far beyond the victims involved. These scars can continue to haunt responders.
The series is part of a broader effort to increase safety for first responders while in the performance of their jobs.
"We know our jobs are dangerous, and we have been reminded of that far too many times with fallen officers and other public servants killed in the line of duty," Deputy Chief Mark Savage said. "Educating first responders and the motoring public can greatly reduce or even eliminate these tragedies entirely."
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CBI Unveils New Crime Stats Tool
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There’s a new name and look for the state’s annual crime statistics published by CBI. The Colorado Crime Stats system (formerly the Crime in Colorado report) includes crime statistics reported by 245 law enforcement agencies across Colorado. The new format transitions the state of Colorado to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which offers extensive information about each crime. This differs from the Summary Reporting System that was part of previous Crime in Colorado reports.
In the former Summary Reporting System, each criminal incident was summarized to the single most serious offense, whereas NIBRS counts each crime committed in a given incident. As a result, NIBRS statistics generally provide counts greater than the Summary Reporting System. It’s important to know that this is not necessarily an indication of more crime, only greater detail regarding the crimes committed.
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DCJ Reps Contribute to Plan to Improve Criminal Justice Outcomes for Youth
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Gov. John Hickenlooper gave high praise this month to policy recommendations that DCJ staff and board members helped to formulate.
The Improving Outcomes for Youth Statewide Task Force policy recommendations, if passed into law by state legislators, would strengthen the juvenile justice system, increase public safety, and lead to better outcomes for youth who come in contact with the juvenile justice system.
“Putting children in confinement should be a last resort, not a first option,” said Governor Hickenlooper. “These policy recommendations are data-driven, practical proposals that will improve our state’s juvenile justice system. I commend the task force and urge lawmakers to consider these measures in the next legislative session.”
The Task Force, created by Gov. Hickenlooper and co-chaired by Sen. Bob Gardner (R) and Rep. Pete Lee (D), includes legislators, law enforcement, judges, state and local juvenile justice leaders, and other stakeholders. Four JJDP Council members and OAJJA Manager Meg Williams served on the task force.
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DFPC Tours State to Help Locals Access Safety & Disease Prevention Grant Funds
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Members of DFPC's Professional Qualifications and Training section traveled around the state in late October and early November to educate local fire departments and sheriff’s offices about the Colorado Local Firefighter Safety and Disease Prevention Grant. DFPC held a series of workshops in Alamosa, Cortez, Telluride, Montrose, Clifton, Steamboat Springs, Trinidad, La Junta, Fort Morgan and Sterling to provide information regarding the grant application process, funding priorities and the program timetable.
The grant was established in 2014; In 2018, House Bill 18-1423 provided a one-time funds transfer of $250,000 to enable grants of up to $10,000 per fire department or sheriff's office to help reduce risk and improve health outcomes for first responders. Agencies can request grant funding for safety equipment or injury prevention programs.
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Campaign Successfully Prevents Crashes After CSU/Wyoming Showdown
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Colorado and Wyoming Law Enforcement agencies teamed up on Oct. 26 to successfully combat impaired driving during the annual "Border War" football game between the University of Wyoming and Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
There were
zero impaired-driving related crashes in the targeted areas, which was the #1 goal of the operation. Leading up to the game, law enforcement asked those attending to plan ahead and reminded them not to drink and drive. Education efforts were made through social media, radio, a video PSA, and media releases.
Colorado officers (including members of CSP) made 175 stops, which resulted in 41 speeding citations, five seat belt citations, 107 warnings, and 29 other citations.
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DFPC Trainer Saves Life While Off-Duty
Lucy Murphy was visiting from Florida, watching her daughter's house. She was cooking up breakfast when she decided to pop out to grab the mail. When she stepped outside, the door slammed behind her! She found herself locked out of the house, bacon cooking on the stove, phone and keys inside. She couldn’t call 911, and she started to panic as she started to see smoke.
Lucy suddenly remembered that her daughter said the neighbor was a firefighter. She rushed to knock on his door.
DFPC Professional Qualifications and Training member Josh Matheny answered the door. Keeping his cool, Josh quickly spotted a way to enter the locked home -- but it was on the third floor! He looked all over to find a ladder, which he used to climb up and open a window to enter the house. The house was filling with smoke and the fire alarms were going off. Josh took the bacon off the stove and opened the windows to air out the house.
Lucy recently sent a thank-you letter to DFPC to describe Josh's actions that day and to express her gratitude. To Lucy -- and to us -- Josh is a hero.
Read the full story here.
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Governor Recognizes Law Enforcement Records Personnel
Recognizing the enormous contribution that law enforcement records technicians make behind the scenes, Governor John Hickenlooper issued a proclamation declaring Nov. 5-9 "Law Enforcement Records Personnel Week" in the state of Colorado.
Records personnel provide reports and enter information into various records management systems and national crime information databases, and help the public and law enforcement with accessing the data and records they maintain.
The proclamation states, in part, "law enforcement records personnel are crucial to assisting law enforcement agencies in the identification, pursuit, capture, and processing of suspects; and...these professionals continually use their expertise and experience in maintaining criminal justice agency records and statistics, providing data for improving apprehension strategies."
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Can CDPS Secure Spot as the Most Giving State Agency?
As of Nov. 27, 131 CDPS employees have committed to donate more than $33,000 to Colorado charities through the state's annual Colorado Combined Campaign!
CDPS is currently in first place among executive branch agencies! However, last year a number of departments pulled ahead, and we finished in 7th place.
We still need YOU to help us meet our goal! We aim to raise at least $35,000 and to have at least 200 CDPS members participate (that's a rate of about 1 in 10 employees -- we can do this!)
Any amount you
donate will help, because when we all give a little, it really adds up.
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Executive Director Hilkey and DHSEM Director Kevin Klein helped serve donuts at a fundraising event at the Centennial office on Nov. 19.
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Monthly Donor Incentives
CDPS held weekly prize drawings in November for those who donated. The winners were: Christopher Grimsley, Larry Brown, Miyeoung Lee, and Janel Lyons. You have one last chance to be drawn! Donate by Nov. 30 to be entered in the final CDPS drawing.
Also, donate before Dec. 31, and you will be entered to win one of several
exciting prizes
being offered by the state, including the chance to win a Colorado road trip or a ride in the CSP plane!
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Please Welcome Legislative Liaison Cooper Reveley
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Cooper Reveley came on board on Nov. 6 as our new CDPS Legislative Liaison. Cooper comes to CDPS from the Governor's Office, where he was the Director of Constituent Services. Cooper has extensive experience in policy making, and has previously worked for members of the US Senate, US House, and European Parliament.
In his free time, Cooper likes to run, cook, travel, ski, camp, and play fetch with his Border Collie, Roy.
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Alice Huyler Selected as Learning & Development Program Manager
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Alice Huyler has joined the Planning & Communications team as the Learning and Development Program Manager. Alice has served CDPS in a variety of capacities over the past seven years, most recently managing the 1033/1122 program in the EDO Compliance and Professional Standards Office. Alice brings a wealth of knowledge about the Department and an infectious enthusiasm to the job; she was part of the team that developed leadership standards for CDPS several years ago, and she will be instrumental in the continued evolution and execution of the Leadership Strategies Institute and other employee development opportunities.
Alice has a Masters Degree in Public Administration and recent formal training in problem-based learning techniques. In her spare time, Alice enjoys hiking with her doggy, knitting dinosaurs and leading fellow CDPS employees in lunch-time workouts.
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Do you have news, stories, events, "People on the Move", or other content to share with all CDPS employees? Submit your story ideas, details and photos by the 10th of the month to your Division PIO or to
Patricia.Billinger@state.co.us
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