Dear CDPS Members,
I am honored that I have been selected to be in the Cabinet of Governor-Elect Jared Polis, which means I will continue in my role during the next administration. It is my strong opinion that I’ve been given this opportunity because of the reputation of CDPS, something only possible because of your excellence and dedication.
In 2018 alone, you gave many gifts to the people of Colorado. In case you missed it, here's a link to a
holiday video where I review many of the top accomplishments of our various units. It's a very long video because there are so many wonderful things to highlight -- and it doesn't even touch upon everything you accomplished this past year!
Looking forward to 2019 and beyond, several key themes stand out in terms of what’s working in CDPS that we can build upon together:
Collaborate for our customers
Our partners and customers don’t necessarily see the lines between our programs and functions, and our goal should be to communicate and collaborate so that we provide seamless public safety services. Our motto is “Safer Together” because we truly make Colorado safer when we work together.
Innovate and identify improvements
Employees are the experts in their work, so we are focusing on empowering CDPS employees to identify and implement process improvements. Innovation doesn’t and shouldn’t just come from the leadership level. We are excited that we will soon roll out more ways to submit suggestions and access resources for innovation.
Support each other
Last, and most importantly, I hope that we continue to find ways to support each other personally and professionally. Relationships are built when we work together, but also when we take the time to get to know one another beyond the scope of our daily duties. We will continue to provide opportunities for members from across divisions to come together and to provide formal and informal support systems for each other.
As we move into a new year and a new chapter, I invite you to keep the feedback coming, both about what’s working and what can be improved. Your opinions matter to CDPS leaders. Thank you for all that you do for CDPS and for the citizens of our great state.
I wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday season and I am thrilled that I will be with you in the new year!
--Stan Hilkey
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Calendar
*Please request holiday leave in Kronos if you take off on these dates.
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Register today: Spots still available for these free training opportunities
Navigating Challenging Relationships
Increase your effectiveness as a team member, influencer, and leader. Increase your ability to collaborate with direct reports, team, and across organizational silos.
Emotional Intelligence: Connecting with Others
Explore ways to build stronger, more effective relationships through improved communication. Understand the impact of the emotional make-up of self and others and explore how to communicate when emotional traps arise.
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Simple Improvements Aim to Prevent Rework on Travel Forms
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Did you know that the federal government changes travel expense rates
twice a year?
Mileage rates change at the end of the calendar year and per diem rates change on October 1st.
The Executive Director's Office has implemented two simple changes to help you avoid submitting an outdated form (and thus having to redo your work!):
- Forms Library on the CDPS Intranet -- The CDPS Intranet uses Google drive to make it easy to keep our most commonly used forms up-to-date and downloadable. To ensure you're always using the most recent version of a form, we encourage you to always visit the Intranet to find and download forms, rather than storing forms on your computer.
- Active Dates on Travel Forms - Cameron Burke implemented a simple solution: adding an active date range to the form’s title and at the bottom of the form itself. Make sure you check that date, and if it is expired, you'll need to download the latest form from the Intranet!
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P-Card Holders: Check out Updates to P-Card Manual
If you make purchases using a state-issued P-Card or you are an approver, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the expectations.
Read the Manual here.
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Our Public Safety Mission in Action
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Multi-Division Effort Convenes Communities to Prepare for Active Shooters
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DFPC representatives are traveling the state in partnership with DHSEM, the School Safety Resource Center and the Colorado State Patrol, bringing local agencies together to discuss how they can improve their communities' safety in the face of active shooters.
After the Pulse nightclub shooting, the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) convened stakeholders & experts to craft cross-agency standards to improve safety in the face of active shootings. CDPS representatives convened meetings in Fort Collins and Pueblo in December to share the concept of "
NFPA 3000' and to spur conversations among diverse local agencies who need to work together before, during and after active shooter incidents. As an example of the wide variety of stakeholders they are convening, the Pueblo event drew representatives from two police departments, six fire departments, three school districts, two hospitals and a sheriff's office.
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DCJ Grants Empower Local Communities to Save Lives
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DCJ staff handle millions of dollars worth of grants. These grants make it possible for local nonprofits and governmental agencies to deliver critical services in their communities. For example, the Office for Victims Programs distributed 178 grants worth more than $20 million in FY2018 to support crime victims.
One such grant, recently highlighted in the news, illustrates the immense impact these grant disbursements have all over Colorado. According to the Aspen Times, a $400,000 grant over two years from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Fund will help domestic abuse survivors escape their abusers by providing access to longer-term housing help.
Read the full article here.
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CSSRC Hosts School Safety Summits Around State
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Experts from the Colorado School Safety Resource Center led workshops, focus groups and educational forums on critical school safety topics during Student and Staff Safety Summits in Grand Junction, Fort Morgan and Pueblo in November and December.
Each one-day event featured a national keynote speaker, followed by workshops where students and school staff discussed the specific safety concerns that they are encountering at their respective schools. The events featured Dr. Sameer Hinduja, Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center in Florida, and Ben Cort, author of “Weed, INC” and an expert on marijuana education.
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State Patrol Communications Center in Craig Rises to Crisis Response
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CSP Craig dispatches State and Federal agencies for 11 counties and all of the police/fire/EMS units in Moffat County.
On August 31, a significant thunderstorm rolled through Moffat County, causing chaos. The Moffat County Road and Bridge Shops were hit by lightning and caught on fire; the fire ruptured a 4,000-gallon diesel fuel tank and threatened a second fuel tank. Then the storm spread across the county, causing several sizable wildland fires.
The incident required all hands on deck. Communications Officers Dana Burkey, Sherrie Johnson and Ryan Buttermore were intensely busy answering the overwhelming amount of incoming 911 calls and radio traffic. The situation had escalated quickly, and the three were simply unable to keep up. Team Lead Michaela Smith and Communications Officers Kaycee Race and Melissa Doubrava were off duty at the time. They recognized the significance of the incident and, without prompting, responded to the center to assist in any way they could. These six amazing dispatchers were able to divide the radio talk groups and filter through the hundreds of incoming calls. Those calls included several other emergencies that had nothing to do with the many fires. This group of six rose to the challenge and went above and beyond that day.
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CBI Fraud Team Intercepts Millions of Dollars from Going Overseas
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CBI agents and analysts with the Identity Theft/Fraud & Cybercrimes Unit worked to prevent more than $2 million in losses from Colorado victims in the BEC scam in November alone. During the course of 2018, they have assisted more than 40 individuals and assisted in the return of $4 million to victims.
BEC is a sophisticated scam targeting individuals and businesses who make a wire transfer of funds, such as during a real estate transaction, although this type of fraud can occur in any industry where funds are routinely wired. In general, the BEC scheme starts off with the fraudsters compromising one or more of the email accounts of those involved in a transaction by use of malware or other methods. Then, by reading the email of those involved, the fraudsters can time their requests to unsuspecting victims to send money to a bank account they control.
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DFPC Branch Chief Presents Wildfire Case Study & Best Practices in Slovenia
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Wildfire Management Section Planning Branch Chief Rocco Snart traveled to Slovenia this fall to present case studies and best practices to members of the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief. Chief Snart provided information on wildland fire qualifications in the United States, wildland fire command and control, and incident management, and reviewed a case study regarding the Spring Fire.
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DHSEM Releases Three-Year Strategic Plan
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"This strategic plan was developed with significant input from internal and external stakeholders. Over 30 workshops were held with diverse groups of stakeholders. The workshops focused on how the division can better serve our stakeholders. The findings from these workshops were used to make informed decisions that will help us accomplish our mission to lead and support Colorado’s effort to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond to and recover from all-hazards events, and meet our vision of a prepared, safe and resilient Colorado," DHSEM Division Director Kevin Klein said.
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Trooper Lewis Honored for Social Media Impact
The Emergency Services Public Information Officers of Colorado (ESPIOC) honored CSP Trooper Josh Lewis with the "Best Use of Social Media" award during the organization's annual award ceremony on Dec. 13.
Lewis is the lead on the Colorado State Patrol's Facebook page and CSP_News Twitter account. He was lauded for his ability to engage the public in public safety topics through wit, humor, timeliness and relevant postings.
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DHSEM Field Manager Reflects on 50 Years in Emergency Response
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Half a century ago this month, Chuck Vale was among the founding members of search and rescue in Routt County, Colorado. (
Read the story here).
Forty years ago on December 4, Rocky Mountain Airways flight 217 left Steamboat for a routine return back to Stapleton airport in Denver. The flight never made it. Chuck was one of more than 60 Coloradans who mobilized on a search and rescue mission through 60 inches of fresh snow in steep mountain terrain. They located the aircraft at 6:05 a.m. the next day and, amazingly, were able to save all but one person in the crash.
Today, Chuck continues to work in emergency response as a Field Manager with the Office of Emergency Response within the DHSEM. With such an extensive history in this field, we asked Chuck to reflect back on the past 50 years and share his insights and memories.
Read his interview on our blog.
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Partnership with CDOT Improves Safety for Kipling Campus Workers
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When can a little bit of landscaping save lives?
When it takes the form of enormous boulders strategically placed near the base of buildings as a way to deter anyone attempting to "jump the curb" and ram the building.
Logistics Services Section Program Manager Adrienne Loye focuses on keeping CDPS employees safe at our buildings. She reached out to CDOT wondering whether they might be able to help find, transport and install large rocks to bring this landscaping safety idea into reality.
Members of CDOT's Region 1 Section 9 were more than happy to help. Fernando Herrera located appropriately sized rocks on highway 74. His patrol loaded, moved and placed the rocks at 700 Kipling. "Section 9 enjoys helping outside entities with projects they do not have the resources to complete," wrote CDOT's John Wilson.
Thank you very much, CDOT!
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CSP Strategic Communications Director Also a Top Dog Trainer!
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State Patrol Director of Strategic Communications Kelly Roll is a high-performing, high-results professional who helps to shape the perception of the Colorado State Patrol. In addition to her demanding job, it turns out that Roll also excels at her hobbies -- which include running a ranch and training dogs!
Kelly currently runs the Rock'n R Ranch, and she and her family are building a 45-acre dog training complex in rural Colorado, named K9cation.
"How she juggles her job, being a mom, running the Rock'n R Ranch AND training dogs is so unbelievable to me," said Victims Assistance Unit Director Denise Poeppel.
Roll recently earned third place in the 2018 Greatmats National Dog Trainer of the Year Contest.
Read the full story...
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CDPS Finishes Combined Campaign with Highest Participation in State!
As of publication of this newsletter, CDPS is the state of Colorado department with the greatest total number of employees who chose to participate in the state's workplace giving campaign! With 155 employees making a donation of some sort to local charities through the Colorado Combined Campaign, CDPS
increased our participation by 37% over last year (when we finished in 7th place)!
DCJ member Marina Borysov was the lucky winner of the statewide grand prize of lunch with Governor Hickenlooper in December (photo at right). Huge thank you to everyone who participated! Your generosity will make an enormous difference in 2019!
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Sign up for 2019 Polar Plunge to Benefit Special Olympics
Once again, CDPS is uniting forces to take the plunge for a good cause in the New Year! CDPS will have a Special Olympics Polar Plunge team on March 10, 2019, at the Washington Park event.
Sign up using this link, and make sure to join the CDPS Team. If you don't want to plunge, you are welcome to just run the 5k, or sleep in and donate to a team-mate's fundraising page.
Polar plunges happen all over Colorado, so if you live/work outside the metro area, please keep an eye out for other CDPS-led teams that will be forming in 2019.
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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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