Dear CDPS members,
As you know, Colorado has experienced well over a dozen wildfires in the past month. I took some time recently to visit a number of the communities affected by the fires and to connect with our CDPS members supporting those communities.
My fire tours took me by the Chateau and Weston Pass fires, where I saw CSP troopers and CDOT working together on safety/security closures. I went to Costilla County, visited the Ft. Garland Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and toured the Forbes Ranch area where they lost the majority of homes. I was struck by the number of burned residences and the few that fire just seemed to detour around -- I saw about a dozen deer getting the most out of the semi-green grass on the yard of a spared house. My tours also took me to Huerfano County, the La Veta EOC, the Walsenburg base camp and EOC. On another day I went to the Lake Christine Fire, visiting Basalt, El Jebel, Eagle and Pitkin counties.
On these tours I saw DHSEM, DFPC, CSP and CBI staff all working together with the other state Executive Branch departments. Everywhere I went, I saw things working right and people doing great work. Each locality has their own strengths and weaknesses, but overall I had a hard time spotting any gaps in the initial effort. I also saw the Disaster Assistance Centers and many of the Executive Branch agencies providing information and support for displaced people and people who lost their homes.
It was heartening to see such an amazing response all around, and to know that we will be with those communities in some way for a while as we deliver recovery services.
Finally, CDPS remains a trustworthy group that is there for our citizens. It was clear to me that everyone was appreciative of our presence/effort. So on behalf of these citizens and the rest of Colorado, thank you to everyone for your work responding to these wildfires, and keep up the great work!
--Stan Hilkey
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Customer Service: The Customer Connection
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Drawing winner: Who are your customers?
Congratulations to Jeff Gowin of the Colorado State Patrol ESU, who submitted his list of customers and won our drawing for swag and a small amount of admin leave. Twenty-Four CDPS members participated in the activity. If you did not submit your customer list, we encourage you to still take a few minutes to complete the exercise.
Governor's Talent Challenge Wraps Up
During FY 2017-18, CDPS employees from all divisions participated in the inaugural year of the Governor’s Talent Challenge Lean Academy program. This year’s group focused on operationalizing process improvement concepts.
Process improvement - including soliciting and incorporating customer feedback - is an area of focus for CDPS in FY 2019 based on the 2017 Employee Engagement Survey results. Through courses taught by two vendors, CDPS participants learned about the Lean methodology of process improvement and executed a group Lean project to benefit customers. CDPS members also gained experience in continuous improvement, using data to make decisions, and using customer feedback to improve processes.
Small gestures can make big impressions
In a recent letter to CBI members, Director John Camper provided a wonderful overview of customer service. Noting the many thank-you letters CBI has received, he noted: "They aren’t usually writing about some major project or a lifesaving act; more often they are touched by the small gestures of kindness, the extra measure of service, or the reassurance of receiving a little extra help with their concern." He added: "One of the reasons they take the time to write is because, frankly, they aren’t used to receiving that level of service from a large corporation or government agency, and they are pleasantly surprised when they do."
Read the full letter here.
We often recognize outstanding acts of heroism or achievement -- and rightfully so -- but it's worth acknowledging that the small, everyday interactions are also immensely powerful. As an example, DFPC PIO Caley Fisher was recently
recognized in the Denver Post for helping a distraught caller afterhours. It's easy to say "that's not my job" or "call someone else," but taking a few extra minutes to connect the public with the information and resources they need can make the difference in someone's day -- or life!
If you would like to share stories of outstanding customer service or ideas/tips for achieving excellent service, email them to jana.locke@state.co.us.
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Green Tip from your Green Team: Recycle Right!
Recycle all the right items, and keep non-recyclable items out of bins:
- Recycle often, recycle right
- Recycle all empty bottles, cans, paper and cardboard.
- Keep foods and liquids out of recycling bins.
- Keep plastic bags out of co-mingled recycling bins.
You can recycle hard-to-recycle items at CDPS!
Find out how and where to recycle these and other materials at
Earth 911
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CDPS Publishes FY19 Strategic Plan
The
FY2019 CDPS Strategic Plan has been approved by the Governor's office and is now live on our web site. The plan provides an overview of the department's mission, vision, structure and divisions, and details Strategic Performance Initiatives (SPIs) that serve as the department's high-visibility goals for the fiscal year. We encourage you to browse the plan to learn about CDPS and our shared goals.
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News: Our Public Safety Mission in Action
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DFPC Signs Contract with Global SuperTanker
DFPC has signed a Call-When-Needed contract with Global SuperTanker for use of a 747 in firefighting efforts throughout the state. The Colorado Springs-based Global SuperTanker is working to obtain a federal agreement to enable it to drop on all lands in Colorado.
The large plane adds to the arsenal of aerial resources DFPC can activate to support firefighting efforts throughout the state. All of DFPC's Exclusive Use contracted aircraft fleet and aircrews are committed to fighting Colorado fires, including two helicopters, two Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs), and two Pilatus PC-12 Multi Mission Aircraft (MMA) equipped with multiple cameras, including infrared.
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CBI Announces Updated Background Check Program
CBI is working to implement an updated program providing fingerprint-based criminal history background checks for employment and licensing purposes. Once implemented, the Colorado Applicant Background Services (CABS) program will make it more convenient for applicants to obtain fingerprints at fingerprint service locations throughout the state. The new program will also increase efficiency and timeliness by transmitting fingerprints to law enforcement agencies electronically (instead of via a mailed hard copy). Processing time and rejections are also expected to decrease tremendously.
Find out more and how this might affect you.
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DCJ Publishes Study on Homeless in Jails
On June 29, the Division of Criminal Justice Office of Research and Statistics published a study exploring the demographics, characteristics, crimes and needs of a specific subset of Colorado’s current jail population: the homeless.
“A Study of Homelessness in Seven Colorado Jails” surveyed 507 inmates in seven jails representing a good cross-section of jurisdictions in Colorado. DCJ commissioned the study to provide data that may help answer questions being raised by law enforcement, legislators and community members in relation to a reported increase in the homeless population in major Colorado jails and in Colorado in general.
The study found that the majority of homeless who ended up in Colorado jails moved here prior to legalization of marijuana, and most moved here to escape a problem or be with family. More than one third of the homeless who moved to Colorado after legalization in 2012 reported legal marijuana as a reason that drew them to Colorado. However, only two individuals selected legal marjiuana as the only factor that drew them to Colorado.
The study also found that homeless inmates reported higher rates of mental illness and were charged with significantly fewer violent crimes but significantly more drug and trespassing crimes than non-homeless inmates.
Read more...
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CBI Launches Use of Drones for Investigations
Crime Scene Responders activated the CBI's drone program for its maiden voyage in response to a homicide investigation outside of Walsenburg in Huerfano County in late May.
The DJI Phantom 4s were used to document the outdoor scenes of the crime. The imagery will be used to create 2D maps and 3D models of the scene, which are accurate to about an inch. Crime Scene Responders Erick Bryant (pictured) and other members of the team received extensive training to become certified to pilot the devices as part of crime scene investigations.
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DHSEM Annual Retreat Includes Opportunity to Brighten Children's Lives
The DHSEM annual retreat included strategic planning, team-building, exercises, awards -- the type of activities typical for a team retreat. But it also brought something new to the Division: a hands-on opportunity to get creative and touch the lives of sick children. The retreat concluded with a feel-good activity that consisted of assembling bears that DHSEM donated to Children's Hospital Colorado and to the Make a Wish Foundation. The bears were delivered to very sick children in Colorado.
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State Patrol Members Rope up Money to Support Fallen Officers' Families
The second annual 10-33 State Trooper Memorial Roping in June drew hundreds of team ropers and raised thousands of dollars to support the families of fallen Colorado law enforcement officers.
State Patrol Cpl. Mike Honn and Capt. Darce Weil organized the inaugural event last year in honor of Troopers Jaime Jursevics and Cody Donahue. This year's event, held in Aurora, honored Douglas County Deputy Zackari Parrish, Adams County Deputy Heath Gumm, and El Paso County Deputy Micah Flick, who all died in the line of duty. The 2018 event raised $27,978 to support their families.
As a tribute to our fallen heroes, three horses with empty saddles - adorned with the hats and boots of the fallen officers - were led in the arena by their brothers in blue.
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DHSEM Presents Annual Awards
Each Year DHSEM honors the contributions, excellence and leadership of its employees. Below are the 2018 awards and their winners:
- "GO-TO" Award: Syrita Garcia; Ryan Mecham
- Positivity Award: Mikaela Ellenwood; Amy Shish
- "Work Smarter" Award: Lucas Burr; SRM Team
- "Mission Accomplished" Award: CDBG-DR Team; CIAC All-Hazards Threat Intelligence Unit
- Denney Award: Paul Eller
- Division Director's Award: Devon Rhoads
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New State Patrol Office in Pueblo
On May 19, the state of Colorado unveiled a new, combined CDOT Region 2, CSP District 2 and CSP Pueblo Communication Center.
The state-of-the-art facility will allow patrol members to communicate better with CDOT and the communication center. It is one of the state's first cooperative traffic operations centers, giving the Patrol the ability to see all of the roads in southeastern Colorado and providing better officer safety and enhanced knowledge of traffic and weather conditions.
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More than 400 attend SOMB conference
The 12th Annual Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB) conference was a huge success, drawing more than 400 professionals who work in the field of managing and treating sex offenders.
The event featured nationally and internationally reknowned speakers and a wide variety of topics and workshops. DCJ staff made an exciting announcement during the conference: next year's event will be a joint conference addressing both domestic violence and sex offender management and treatment.
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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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